WR Sequel, Reset And Rebirth, , ,full story, , ,
by Dustal Gray
Summary: This story starts out at the point where the show ends; With Kiba, an quickly to re-introduce all the others.They hav no memory of each othr- but hav flashbacks of their alternate lives...then the very last Flower awakens. Has all chars. Some info changed
1. Chapter 1

5/12/10–5/13/10

Kiba walked alone down the empty road, following the yellow line, his dark jacket blowing around his white tank top in the wind. Though the roads were bare, the sidewalks had small groups of people who would stop one another to have friendly chats. Usually, the streets were so crowded that no one had time to stop and chat: People would make their way through life, ignoring their surroundings, forgetting every face they happen to pass by. If you dared to stop, you would most likely be trampled. But today was different.

It was late in the afternoon, and most of the city was celebrating at the first annual Wolves Fair, where people who believed in the history of wolves would dress up in costume and have eating contests, foot races, and– for the children– howling contests. Kiba believed, like most people, that wolves had existed before humans, and even believed that wolves did, in fact, used to be able to take a on human illusions to hide their identity. Regardless, Kiba was not the part-going type, so he did not attend the Fair.

He shoved his hands casually into his front pockets, looking from one street side to the other, trying to decide which store held the particular CD he had been wanting. On a street corner, he heard soft mewing, and looked to see a cardboard box full of kittens, with a boy with reddish/brown hair picking one out and playing with it. Kiba stopped walking and watched the boy.

The kitten was snow-white, eyes large, mouth opening to reveal it's tiny pink tongue as it cried out with all it's might– only to have people say 'aww' and squish the tiny animal into their arms. The boy held the kitten high by it's armpits as it mewed over and over in fear. The boy had a large open-mouth grin on his face, squatting on the sidewalk, forcing people to walk around him, the silver bangle-bracelet on his right arm clanking softly as he moved the cat up and down.

Kiba's face darkened, and crossed the road, making his way to the boy as he glanced around cautiously and made a move to hide the kitten in his shirt and take it home.

"You have to pay for that." Kiba told the boy, who cried out in fright and whirled around, facing the tall, older boy.

The boy gazed at Kiba, mouth gaped open, as he held the kitten against his chest, wondering if the rugged, dark-haired boy was a lost gang member, or a good Samaritan.

Kiba frowned slightly since the boy made no move to put the cat back in the box, or even explain himself, so he bent down and scooped up the kitten and gently settled it down with it's mixed-bred siblings.

"Hey!" shouted the boy, blushing slightly. "I wasn't going to steal it or anything!"

Kiba ignored the boy, and looked for a sign for the price. He saw an old man leaning against a wall, asleep, with a sign around his neck by a rope. _Kittens For Sale: 2 Dollars Each _said the sign in black paint. Kiba pointed to the man, and said, "Go ask that man if you can buy a kitten."

"I..." the boy looked down, over at the kittens, with sad, brown eyes.

Kiba looked down at the boy, saying nothing.

"I don't have any money..." said the boy quietly.

"So you resort to stealing to have your way?" demanded Kiba.

"No, I just–" the boy stopped, then stood up, glaring hotly at the older boy. "Why are you over here anyway? Are you a police or something? Why don't you mind your own business!"

Kiba stared evenly at the boy. "If you saw someone about to get murdered, wouldn't you step in and stop them?"

"I wasn't going to kill that kitten!" cried the boy, alarmed.

"You were about to comint a crime: Stealing." explained the other boy. "I wasn't going to stand by and let that happen."

The younger boy looked down, ashamed.

At that moment, Kiba's mind showed him a vivid picture of this boy looking down with a similar expression, standing in a sort of dessert place, saying, "I want to stay here..." Then the vision faded away. Kiba shook his head, eyes squinting shut. Why did that come into my mind?

"What's wrong?" asked the boy, sounding nervous.

Kiba shook his head again, then his face relaxed. "Nothing," he said at last. "What's your name?"

"Toboe..." answered the other boy quietly.

The name sounded very familiar to Kiba, but he could not remember ever meeting the boy before. The vision, he guessed, must have been just his imagination. For some reason, though, Kiba felt connected to him. "Well, Toboe," the older boy bent down and looked squarely at the younger one– who blushed at the direct attention– "There is a fair up the road a few miles; I think you'd enjoy it."

"A fair?" breathed Toboe excitedly. "With games, and prizes and stuff?"

"I'm not sure," answered Kiba, standing straighter. "But I'll take you there if you want."

"Okay!" agreed Toboe.

The two boys walked side-by-side down the sidewalk, oblivious to the other humans, passing people who passed them with equal indifference. The wind stirred the sakura trees planted in front of a local drugstore, releases pink petals into the sky. Toboe looked up and watched them as he walked, then he stumbled on a crack in the sidewalk and nearly fell– Kiba reached out quickly and snatched the boy by the back of his shirt, and pulled him to his feet.

"Thank you!" panted Toboe, when Kiba let him go, blushing with embarrassment.

Kiba nodded and kept walking, shoving his hands back into his pockets.

"Hey, what's your name anyway?" asked Toboe curiously. "We've been walking for awhile now and I realized that I don't even know your name!" the boy laughed cheerfully.

"Kiba." answered the older boy.

"It's nice to meet you!" said Toboe happily. "So what's the fair like? What kind is it?"

"It's the first annual Wolves Fair," Kiba explained. "I heard there were eating contests and foot-races there. And also...rewards."

"Rewards?" repeated Toboe. "For what?"

"For whoever howls the best– for whoever sounds like the call of the wolf."

Toboe stared, eyes wide, imagining a group of children, with Kiba in the middle, all howling, all sounding very pathetic. The younger boy laughed. "That sounds like fun!" he said.

They walked down the sidewalk with mainly Toboe doing the talking; he would ask about the religious beliefs of wolves and humans, of the Paradise and of the myth of lunar flowers, and about the Flower Maiden, who was said to lead the wolves to Paradise.

"Paradise has already been found." Kiba said suddenly. Toboe looked at him, confused. But Kiba didn't look at him; he stared ahead and kept walking. "When Paradise had been found, and a wolf not chosen by the Flower tried to enter it..."

"So what happened?"

"The wolf died." said Kiba. "And Paradise was hidden, and the wolves were "reset," so to speak, until the next Flower chose a wolf as the Gate opener."

"How do you know all that?" asked Toboe, awed.

"I don't." admitted Kiba. "It's just how I feel has happened. Like an instinct."

They said no more about wolves, and the conversation changed to music, then to food, then to parents, then more seriously about their pasts.

"I live with my Granny," Toboe said. "She's going blind, and she's always relied on me as a comforter."

"Why aren't you with her now?" wondered Kiba.

Toboe shot Kiba a fiery glare. "I'm not a kid, you know!" he snapped, standing still to make his point. Kiba watched Toboe's face crinkle up like a piece of burning paper.. "I have my own responsibilities like everyone else!" claimed the younger boy, "She let's me go wherever I please..." Toboe then blushed, and added, "As- as long as I'm home by... ten..."

Kiba laughed, breaking the tension, and Toboe grinned.

"So what about your family?" asked Toboe suddenly. "Do you–"

A car horn blared out into the world, startling the two into silence. They watched the car pass, full of young teenagers, all wearing wolves costumes. They followed the car with their eyes as it turned a corner.

"That's where the fair is?" asked Toboe excitedly.

Kiba nodded, watching as a red balloon from that area drifted from the corner, and up into the sky.

"I'll race you there!" Toboe cried out. He started running, fast as he could, and Kiba let the boy gain a few steps ahead before joining in the race. By the time they reached the street corner, both boys were slightly winded, and their eyes were bright with readiness.

Toboe leaped into the air, screaming, "Yahoo! I won!" and started laughing.

Kiba let him win.

They walked over to the yellow-taped off area where the fairgrounds were set up; dozens of white tables and benches were filled with costumed children and adults. Most of the wolves– Kiba noticed– were black, as a symbol that they were "the bad-ass guys." Kiba only thought they were pathetic. The black-wolf people already formed a sort of a racial group, sticking together and traveling in a "pack." While Kiba found it insulting, Toboe laughed and wished he had a costume so he could play, too. Some people did not wear costumes, but instead wore wolf-ear hats, or dark make-up– some were just normal, only wearing regular clothes. Children were scatter around the large area like an on-pour of ants, laughing, screaming, pushing each other to be first in line of games they didn't even want to play. Balloons were everywhere; tied to light poles, children's wrists, laid in popped pieces along the ground. Large, smoking booths were full of greasy fair food, along with booth-games and prizes.

They ducked under the yellow-tape barrier and walked down the sticky ground, looking for something to do. After about five minutes of watching other people enjoy, or not enjoy, themselves, Toboe had to use the bathroom. So they found the line of port-a-potties, and Kiba waited outside while Toboe did his business.

Waiting near the bathrooms, Kiba looked around and noticed that the only vehicles allowed in the taped-off area was motorcycles and scooters. No cars– aside from a lone police car which circled the fairgrounds every five minutes. Kiba watched a child fall down and skin her knee, and stand right back up, all smiles. Then her mother pointed out in a alarmed voice that she was bleeding, and the little girl began to wail loudly. Kiba sighed and looked ahead at the bathrooms, getting impatient.

When he came out, Toboe seemed much more calm. Then he spotted something. "Hey!" Toboe pointed across the crowd to a long line of tables set up, "Over there!"

It was the food-eating contest. Since Toboe started running to it, Kiba joined in, and they made it just as the organizer of the contest said in a microphone, "Are you ready?...GO!" A horn blared out, and the contestants lined up at the table started shoving hotdogs into their mouths, some not chewing, others chewing too much– and some just chewing enough to not choke. A crowd had gathered quickly around Kiba, Toboe, and a few others who happen to be interested in people over-eating and getting diarrhea. As the eaters starting hitting the ten-hotdogs count, the crowd began to cheer and pick who would win and who wouldn't, placing bets on a large, ugly man they didn't even know. Kiba felt his stomach squirm, and he glanced at his new friend beside him to see how he was taking it; Toboe stared with wide eyes and a smile on his face, clapping and cheering with the crowd.

A motorcycle roared in the background, and Kiba looked over and saw a nice, red motorcycle being parked outside the tape-line, and a man wearing a black helmet got off. Kiba stared for a moment, before glancing away, back to the contestants, then at Toboe.

Toboe caught Kiba's eye and shouted over the cheering, "Who do you think is going to win?"

Kiba looked over the contestants, all sitting, hunched over in their plastic chairs, some choking, yet refusing to stop stuffing food in their throats. A man threw up, making a terribly loud belching sound as his food splatted against the road. Children in the crowd started laughing, or pretending to throw up; very amused. Kiba noticed that most of the people were not even fat. Some were slightly obese, but there was only two or three people who seemed dangerously fat.

"It's hard to say." said Kiba at last. He did not like placing bets. He glanced again to where the man had gotten off of his motorcycle, feeling slightly uneasy about the man, and he couldn't explain why. But the man wasn't there.

Kiba frowned slightly, feeling anxious.

The contestants were slowly dropping out. It was taking too long.

Toboe jumped and cheered, laughing as a man fell over backwards in his chair.

"What a load of crap..." said a man near by. Kiba glanced around and noticed a tall, white-haired man in a black jacket open mid-way. Examining him more closely, he noticed that he had a scar on his chest which appeared much like an X. His pants were very low, almost revealing, and he had a cigarette burning between the fingers of his right hand. He was talking to an up-tight looking woman, who repeated her statement to him: "You are not allowed to smoke here. This is a family fair, sir." It was the man from the motorcycle, Kiba realized.

"Fine..whatever.." the man dropped his cigarette and crushed it, then glanced up, feeling someone staring at him.

Kiba looked away.

"Kiba, look!" said Toboe suddenly.

There was only five contestants left. And time was running out.

Kiba glanced at the man again, but he wasn't there.

A girl eating began to scream, holding her stomach, saying, "No more! No more!" and she left the tables at a run. People laughed. Balloons were seen continuously soaring into the air; little children crying out in alarm, reaching their tiny fingers to the sky, just missing the plastic strings, while their mothers repeatedly told them to stop whining, or they would go home.

"Some fair, huh?" said the white-haired man in a rough tone, stepping up beside him.

"Yeah." said Kiba, not looking at the other man.

The other man put on his sunglasses before looking at Kiba. "Why were you watching me." he demanded.

"I thought I recognized you." lied Kiba. "But I don't."

The other man gave a sort of laugh, and watched the contestants. "Do they think wolves eat until they throw up, or something?" he said loudly. "There's no point to this."

"You don't have to watch." said Kiba coldly.

"What did you say?" the white-haired man looked at Kiba, expression haunting.

"If all you have to say about this fair is bad things, then you shouldn't have bothered to come." Kiba felt the other man's gaze on him, but he didn't let himself get intimidated.

"I wouldn't talk so big if I were you, punk." warned the other man, looking back tot he crowd. "Someone might get hurt."

Kiba moved closer to Toboe. He knew if a fight broke out, he would have to protect Toboe at all costs. "Don't threaten me." said Kiba, his eyes glistening; if need be, he was ready to fight.

"Is that a threat?" asked the other man, mocking, just as willing to fight.

"Kiba! They're finished!" said Toboe suddenly, nudging Kiba, pointing.

The man with the microphone walked along the line of groaning, complaining over-eaters, stopping to stand between two boys, instead of one– for suspense.

"...and the winner is..." the man hesitated, then leaned over towards a freckled, smug-looking boy. "What's your name, kid?"

"My name's Hige." answered the boy proudly, leaning back in his chair, rubbing his fat stomach. The boy reached up and pulled down the microphone and said, "And I just won the first annual Wolves Fair eating contest! Whooooh!" he raised his hands up and cheered for himself, and the crowd watching cheered as well, some clapping. It was a proud moment. The winner had consumed over a fifty hotdogs in ten minutes, while the other contestants had eaten an average of thirty-eight.

The man with the microphone back off, and returned with his prize; a large, black-leather collar laced with a laminated X-looking symbol. Hige looked up as the man placed the collar around his neck, and it huge loosely around him, too big. Yet the winner beamed, proud of himself, and he tilted his head back and gave a loud, very wolf-like howl.

Beside Kiba, the man with white-hair's mouth hung open in a gape of horror, his eyes wide. The man suddenly snapped out of it and rubbed his head, shaking it, seeming distraught. "What the hell just happened to me...?" he mumbled to himself. He had seen an odd picture in his head; he himself walking down a cold, metal hallway, where glass containers sat on pedestals, each one with a brown/orange-colored wolf, wearing the exact collar the contest winner had placed around his neck.

Kiba glanced at the other man as he stood with fear in his eyes, then back at the crowd, trying to piece things together. What possibly upset him?

Hige stood up from the table and walked in front for everyone, coaxing the girls to clap for him.

The fans adored him, and cheered, clapped, whistled, and swore loudly as they lost their money; no one had voted on Hige. He was just too young to win, they had thought, too smug, too inexperienced. Yet there he was, laughing, waving at the pretty girls who seemed to catch his eye.

Toboe turned to Kiba. "Wasn't that great?" he cried, laughing. He glanced at the tall, white-haired man close to Kiba, then looked back at his friend, feeling embarrassed. The white-haired man had a queer, blank expression, just staring at Hige.

Kiba nodded, then walked off, saying, "Come on."

"But, where are we going?" asked Toboe.

"Just follow me, Toboe." said Kiba.

The white-haired man jerked his head towards the two boys as they walked away, and called to them sharply, "Wait!" then jogged over.

Kiba turned and glared at the man. "What do you want?" he demanded.

Toboe glanced at one man from the other, feeling nervous; the tall man was staring directly at him.

"Your name is Toboe?" said the white-haired man.

"Uh..."

"Yeah." said Kiba. "What do you want with him?"

"Your name...I recognize it. As if I know you." said the other man slowly, face confused.

"Well, I don't know you, Mister..." said Toboe quietly. "Maybe we can be friends?" he stuck out his hand, smiling.

"Don't offer your hand to a stranger, Toboe." said Kiba.

"Huh?" Toboe looked at Kiba, then lowered his hand, looking down. "Oh..."

"I'm not gonna bite you, kid." snapped the white-haired man. "I just–"

"Who are you?" demanded Kiba.

"My name is Tsume." he answered, then nodded his head at the eating-contest winner. "Do you know him?"

"Who?" Toboe looked around, not knowing who to look at.

"The contest winner," supplied Kiba, "And no, we don't know him."

Just then, Hige strolled past, showing off his collar. He waved at some girls, saying, "Ladies, ladies! You're making me blush! If I had a tail," he added, patting his butt, "I'd be waggin' it." and he earned a few good-natured laughs.

Tsume put a hand on the boy's chest as he started to strut past, stopping him. Hige looked at the white-haired man with a confused, almost annoyed look.

"What?" he said rudely.

"Where did you get that collar?" said Tsume.

"What, this? I just won it for eating the most–"

"Where did they get it from?"

Kiba and Toboe watched, feeling out of the loop.

"I don't know!" shrugged Hige, then tapped his prize. "But if you want one, you should try and eat a little more. Hahah!"

"What's your name?" asked Tsume.

"What, is this an interview for my win?" laughed the boy. "My name's Hige. And who are you?"

"Hige...doesn't ring a bell." said Tsume, seeming disappointed. I must be going crazy, he thought. "Well, forget it." he started to walk off, taking a cigarette out and lighting it as he made his way to the organizer of the contest, wanting to ask them about the collar.

The contest winner glanced at Kiba, as if suddenly noticing him. "Hey, do I know you?"

Kiba shook his head. "No." he said.

"Oh, I just thought–" he looked over at Tsume, "Hey um, what's your name?" Hige called out urgently, feeling used since the man had asked him a bunch of question, then walked off.

"Tsume." he answered, and stopped walking. He looked up in the sky.

Kiba, Toboe, and Hige followed his gaze into the sky, and saw a single, blue butterfly, descending from the sky.

The same thought came to them at once: Follow it. They did not know why, but their very souls cried out to follow the butterfly and find out where it's going.

So they did.

Without a word, they ran out of the Wolves Fair, under and over the tape, and down the street– Tsume forgetting that he could just ride his motorcycle. Behind them, the people in wolves' costumes began to howl.

**.............................................................................................................................................................**

Alone in his castle, a man waited for the sun to peek out of the clouds, and shed light into the dark room. He stared at the large stain-glass window of wolves and legends, having believed in them since he was old enough to read. All inside the castle were tapestries and elegant paintings of wolves, men in armor, and war. The windows is almost every room was adorned in twisted wires, forming flowers, wolves, or the very Gateway to Paradise. His name was Darcia, and this was his obsession.

In another room laid his love, Hamona, dying form an unknown illness. She slept fitfully in an iron bed, laying across crisp, velvet sheets, her long golden hair blessing the floor with it's beauty. To her right was a large stained window of a howling wolf on a mountain, the window itself over-looking the entire world. But all she could ever do is sleep, her weakness slowly consuming her.

He had searched for years to heal her, and finally discovered the origin of her sickness; Paradise. Everyone at least once in their life time had found, or made up, a sort of Paradise to go in their dreams. But for the Hamona, she needed more; she fell into a coma, brought on by a curse from Darcia's bloodline.

So the man had built a machine that would allow one to enter a false Paradise; a Paradise simulation that was very similar to sharing a lucid dream with another person. Entering this Paradise, you would find yourself in a flourishing green valley, teeming with flowers, fruiting trees, a clear, crystal lake. A pure-white castle stood on a hilltop, representing Darcia's dark, maze-like one. Everything was tangible in the false Paradise, but everything was fake; only the people who would enter into the Paradise with you were real.

Darcia turned now to the machine in the corner of the room; a appearing nothing more as a long iron bed, this device had hundreds of red wires connected to the ceiling, the bedside, all hanging loosely like veins cut out of the body and left to rot. The twin of this machine was being slept in by the woman he loved, it's red veins coiled upwards in the ceiling, or laying quietly on the floor.

There was also a third machine like it; blueprints on the original had been stolen by Hamona's older sister, Jaguara, who had loved Dacria first, and grew bitter and hateful after being rejected; Butting heads, Darcia and Jaguara raced on different edges of the world to find the Gateway to Paradise.

He had heard legends that wolves had already found and opened Paradise– but it was not the right wolf. So Paradise– and those who had journeyed to find it– were "reset" in more ways than one; it was said that the wolves had become permanently human, and Paradise was hidden. Only the lunar flower, if awaken once more, would be able to re-open Paradise– with the help of the wolves.

But it was impossible, now.

Wolves were no longer a thing of the past; they were a thing of myth.

Darcia reached up and rubbed a finger along his left eye, frowning slightly.

If the wolves do not come out of hiding, thought Darica, Then she will die.

He slammed a closed fist into a pillar to his left, growling.

I cannot let her die... he thought to himself. Not after all of this...not after–

"My Lord," said his secretary, walking over from the now-open double doors to the room. "A wolf had been spotted outside; they have it, and are bringing it to you."

Darcia whirled around, his cape ruffling. He stared icily at his servant, though he regarded her with a kind friendliness for having stuck with him for so long. "Impossible!" he snapped. He walked past her quickly, and she followed.

He arrived at the front door as the men had climbed from their ships and brought over a large, graying dog, who was muzzled, bound by the legs, and carried by two men, with three others following with guns. They laid the dog on the floor, and Darcia bent down to look at it.

The dog stared back, it's brown eyes penetrating, mouth quivering, growling.

Darica stood up and gave the men a cold, black stare. "This is no wolf." he told them. "You don't know what you are looking for; wolves have long ears, longer snouts; they would give more a of fight then this mutt." he raised his voice, "And they have eyes like this–" he tore away his eye-cover, showing the men his odd wolf-eye; yellow with blackness around it. His men gasped quietly. Beside him, his secretary took a step back. One of the men fainted.

Darcia replaced his cover, and said calmly, "Now release this thing and find me a wolf." He turned his back on them as they said, "yes sir!" and hurried away; one man stayed and dragged his partner out of the room by his arms.

"Paradise must be found..." Darica said coldly, walking down the hall.

A moment later, the doors were closed, and the secretary watched fearfully as Darcia walked away, turning a corner, and out of sight.

**.............................................................................................................................................................**

The bedroom was pitch-black, though it was late in the afternoon. The curtains were drawn tightly shut, letting no light escape as the tired man tried to sleep after having a long, trying day at the office. He had to go to work that morning at 2am, and didn't get home until an hour ago at 3pm. So his ex-wife let him sleep.

But then his phone rang, and his wife, while on her break, felt the need to call him.

He answered the phone, groaning. "Huh...hullo..?"

"Hubb?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm thinking about quitting my job at the firm."

"What?" the man is heard rising out of bed in the darkness of the bedroom, the bed squeaking slightly. "Why, Cher?"

"Well..." the woman hesitated. "I'm not supposed to say..."

"What's happened?"

"We've found new information..."

"Yeah...?"

"Information that claims Paradise has already been found."

"That's impossible." the man rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, hugging the phone to his ear. "That's just the media talking, Cher, trying to get the secrets figured out..."

"Hubb..."

"What?"

There was a pause, and the man nearly fell asleep until he was jolted awake up her voice; "The Flower Maiden they've been working on for the past four years..it...died."

"When did that happen?" the man sounded shocked.

"This afternoon, while I was at work..."

The bed squeaked; the man sat up against the bed. "Go on." he said, sounding serious.

"They...say that it died because it gave up hope...so Cheza wilted; she vanished, she wasn't there anymore..."

"Cheza?"

"She was a human/flower experiment– I'm not supposed to talk about–" Cher was cut off.

"–Yeah, yeah...what else?"

"The lunar flowers we had been harvesting died as well."

There was silence. "So you're out of a job, then?" said the man.

"No, it's not that...they need people to find new flowers, and figure out why they all died."

"Oh..." The bed squeaked slightly as the man got more comfortable. "Sounds more like detective work, than the work of a scientist." he added.

"Hubb?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you believe in wolves?"

"No."

"...okay." the woman looked around herself, and checked her watch. Break was over. "I have to go now..."

The man stared out into the darkness for a while, thinking, before saying, "All right."

The woman hung up.

Hubb sighed, sliding back into bed to sleep.

The bed squeaked a few more times.

Then silence.

**.............................................................................................................................................................**

Breathing hard, Toboe struggled to make his little legs run as he saw Tsume, Kiba, and Hige race ahead of him downa dark alley.

"Kiba!" cried Toboe, gasping. "Kiba– wait!"

But they didn't come back for him.

Groaning, Toboe dodged through the oblivious crowds of people, saying "excuse me!" but they didn't get out of his way any faster.

At last the boy reached the alley, and he jogged down it and crashed into the slightly fat boy's back.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" said Toboe, blushing.

But Hige said nothing, scooting over so Toboe could see.

There, sprouting quietly on it's own, was a white flower which smelled faintly of honey.

The four guys formed a ring around it, gazing at it, wondering why they felt the need to come here.

Above them, the butterfly was too afraid to land on the flower with people so close, so it flew away.

"Why the hell did we come to that?" said Tsume bluntly.

"It's a lunar flower..." said Kiba quietly.

"Lunar flower my ass," snorted Tsume. "Don't tell me you believe that wolf crap?"

"Well, I do..." said Toboe quietly.

"Hey, how do we know it's a lunar flower anyway?" said Hige, and he bent down to pick it.

"DON'T!" cried the other guys at once.

They stared wide-eyed at the flower, each having felt a deep feeling of protection over the flower, as if it was their duty. They felt that if the flower came into harm, that their world would be damned– cursed into a world of utter despair. Toboe was shaking; unlike the others, he had seen a vision of a girl with pink hair, crying out in a voice that only wolves could hear.

Hige stood up, and shrugged. "What?" he said, noticing they all stared at him in coldness. Since Hige had never believed in Paradise– or in wolves, for that matter– he was hardly effected, and his smug face was too much for Tsume to take.

Tsume reached out, snatching Hige by the shirt. He slammed him against a wall, and said loudly, "What the hell are you thinking!"

"Tsume!" warned Kiba. "Enough."

"Stop it, put me down!" shouted Hige madly.

"No, please..don't fight!" begged Toboe urgently. "It's okay, see? Cheza is fine."

They looked at Toboe.

Hige stopped struggling against the wall to be free, and said bluntly, "Cheza?"

Kiba's eyes widened. He remembered something; a taste on his tongue; a green, poisonous sap that bled from a dying flower, but did not harm him; he could picture a white wolf carrying it in a snowy mountain, bleeding, weak, and desperate.

Tsume let Hige go, and Hige slumped to the ground and sat there, staring at Toboe and the flower.

Tsume rubbed his neck. "Did you just name that flower?"

"No, she..." Toboe bent down and looked at the flower. "That's her name..."

"That isn't Cheza." said Kiba at last. "It only feels like her." he stepped forward and squatted in front of the plant, and began stroking it lightly with his finger tips.

"It's the lunar flower from the wolves!" breathed Toboe, suddenly realizing it.

"Oh my God..." snorted Tsume. "You really think that flower's the key to the Paradise or something, you runt?"

"Don't pretend you didn't feel it, Tsume." said Kiba. "We all felt it..."

"Felt what?" asked Hige, frowning.

"The flower was crying." said Toboe quietly. "She was afraid."

Hige started laughing, disbelieving. "Flowers cant cry!"

Tsume leaned against the wall and lit a cigarette, shaking his head.

` Toboe squatted next to Kiba. "So why did she call to us if we're not wolves?"

"This one is different." said Kiba. "This one hasn't called to the wolves, or to us; we came to it by instinct..."

"Tch! Instinct!" snorted Tsume. "We followed a damn butterfly!"

Hige nodded. "Yeah. This is a waste of my time." He threw a thumb backwards, where the crowded streets moved without glancing down the alley. "I got babes to meet."

"No one's goin' to want to meet a kid who won a damn eating contest." said Tsume harshly, looking down at Hige. "That collar on your neck doesn't make you a god." Even speaking about the collar made Tsume uneasy. He thought of his vision, and hated that he couldn't figure out why he had it. Tsume felt suddenly uncomfortable.

"Hey, girls like my style!" said Hige, offended. "You're just jealous."

"Yeah..whatever..." Tsume threw his cigarette on the ground and started to walk off, "I'm out of here," he said. But he hesitated.

Toboe looked at Tsume sadly, then looked back at the flower. I wish he could stay and help us...Toboe thought. I wish I knew why he looks familiar...

Glancing back at the lunar flower, Tsume felt sick. He put the flower in danger; the smoke would suffocate it. Tsume took a step back and picked back up his cigarette, then walked off, turning right out of the alley, cigarette burning between his fingers.

Kiba watched this display over his shoulder, and then turned back to the flower.

"Ah, what a sorry punk!" said Hige, shrugging.

"What should we do with it?" asked Toboe to Kiba, his eyes wide.

"I don't know." replied Kiba. "I feel as if we should protect it with our lives..."

Hige sighed loudly. "All right, I'm leaving too..."

Toboe stood up, and looked at Hige. "You can't leave us too!"

"Toboe...it's all right." said Kiba.

"No, it's not all right!" shouted Toboe, his face strained. "We cant just separate like this. We just cant! I... I've been watching us, and it seems like we all think we know each other, but don't remember it. I don't know why, but I feel like we really need to figure out why. I..." Hige stared at Toboe, shocked.

Kiba stared at Toboe, concerned.

"I don't know what we should do." Toboe admitted. "But this flower– it needs us... we all felt it– well, um, some of us..did..." he blushed. "But..." Toboe's voice steadily grew quieter as he failed at trying to make up his mind. "...I...we need to stay together..."

Kiba stood up, putting a hand on Toboe's shoulder. He stared at Hige firmly. "Toboe is right." he said. "We should try and stick together."

"But I don't feel anything about that weed!" whined Hige. "Why do I have to get involved?"

"Because you followed us here." Kiba answered. "You had to have some kind of feeling."

"Yeah...well..." Hige looked away. "What about that other guy?"

"Yeah, Kiba," Toboe stood up, "Shouldn't we go after him?" He looked at Kiba, worried.

"Yeah." said Kiba. "If we don't find him, I'm sure he'll find us."

Hige sighed, and Toboe smiled, saying, "I guess we should get to know each other, then. Hahah!"

Hige blushed. "Well, I do feel like I know you, Kiba..." said Hige shyly. "I just don't know where..."

Kiba nodded. "I felt the same way about Toboe."

"I feel like I knew Tsume!" Toboe said excitedly. "I didn't mention it, though, cause we saw the butterfly, and..."

"When do you think we'll remember each other?" said Hige, sounding irritated.

"I...don't know..." Toboe smiled a little. "But I'm sure we'll figure it out!"

Kiba nodded. "We have to."

"Yeah." agreed Hige.

They looked over at the flower.

The flower looked back.

**.............................................................................................................................................................**

His phone rang again.

Hubb groaned and rolled over, snatching his phone from the floor where he dropped it.

"Yeah...?" he mumbled.

"Hubb, we need you at the office. We've found something."

"Found something? Found what?" asked Hubb, disoriented from just waking up.

"The line isn't secure; come down to the office right away."

"I understand..." Hubb sighed. "I'm on my way."

Hubb climbed out of bed, hanging up the phone. He walked over to the wardrobe closet and opened it, looking at his haggard appearance in the side-mirror. He sighed and removed a clean, black suite from the hanger and started putting it on.

"I hope it's not another murder case..." he sighed.

He grabbed his car keys, briefcase, and wallet, then headed out the door.

**.............................................................................................................................................................**

"How many times do I have t' tell ya this– I'll leave when I'm finished!" the old man frown angrily at the bar-tender, who then re-filled the man's glass to the brim of frothy beer. The old man snorted, and sipped on his drink.

Around him, a few people sitting at their own tables whispered and gossiped about the strange man, who always carried a shot-gun under his jacket. Some believed he was a rabbit hunter, other say a bounty hunter, or an assassin. But no. This man was a hunter of wolves.

He sipped his beer again, then remembered he still wore his hat. He removed it, setting it on the table, shedding flicks of dirt on the counter-top which fell from his hair.

A man walked into the bar, smoking a cigarette. The old man glanced at him, making a low, un-welcoming 'huff.' This man wore sunglasses indoors, wore a black leather jacket, and pants. He looked like a regular thug, thought the old man.

When the guy walked over, the old man noticed he had white hair, and this shocked him. "You've...been in the sun too much." said the old man, slurring. "Sun must'a...bleached your hair."

Tsume took off his sunglasses and ordered a drink before looking at the old man. "Be quiet, drunk old man." he said, disgusted.

"Don't you know who I am?" bellowed the old man suddenly. "You cant dare call me that with no respect! I'm a wolf hunter!"

Tsume froze, eyes widening; he took his drink numbly and turned away.

"Don't you know...?" said the old man, noticing the white-haired man's sudden loss of composure. "The wolves are back...I haven't seen them yet, but I know they're out there..."

Tsume sipped his drink, smirking. "You're a sorry old coot." he said, not looking at him. Tsume leaned against a wall near the old man, eyes cold.

But the old man laughed, bitter, and said, "You haven't seen what I've seen!" He turned in his chair, facing Tsume, who then flinched, uneasy by the man's directness. "I've seen wolves! Real wolves! But you don't see them any more cause they take on human appearances! I've seen it, boy, yes I have!"

People in the bar stared, wide-eyed, and others laughed quietly.

The old man jerked his head around, eyes wild. "You think I'm crazy?" he shouted.

"You're drunk." Tsume stated the obvious.

The bartender stepped over and asked the man to leave.

"I told ya, Goddamnit!" roared the old man, "I'll leave when I'm finished!"

Tsume shook his head, sipping his drink. The bar fell silent.

"...where do I know you from?"

Tsume looked up and saw the old guy staring at him, suddenly serious, anxious. "You look familiar."

"You don't know me." replied Tsume. He walked to the counter and paid for his drink.

"Wait– tell me your name!" cried the old man.

"No." Tsume left the bar.

The old man swore lightly and ordered another beer, nervously muttering about a gray wolf with a "scar just like that thug had." But no one was listening.

Outside, Tsume noticed a blackish/blue dog he hadn't noticed before; it sat against the wall, panting, it's collar and leash tied to a light pole. He wondered who it belonged to, and watched as it's nose wiggled, sniffing the air, then jerked it's head around and stared at him, giving a little whimper. Tsume stared back, confused. It stood up and strained against the leash, whimpering again.

"What the hell do you want?" demanded Tsume, frowning.

The dog said nothing, staring with large, blue eyes.

Tsume started walking off, saying, "See ya..."

Behind him, the dog sat down and threw it's head up to the sky, and howled.

"_Hwooooohh_!**" **it mourned loudly.

Tsume stared at the dog over his shoulder, eyes wide, alarmed, but feeling like he was supposed to know what that meant.

The bar-door banged open, and the old man stood holding his gun, staring wildly around him. The world spun in a blurred haze around him; a small black smudge confirmed that his dog still sat where he left it, and a tall black form slowly came into focus as well; it was a man. The thug.

"What are you doin' to Blue!" the old man demanded. He cocked his gun, yelling, "Get away from her!"

Tsume backed off, then ran down the street, not willing to explain himself– he didn't even know what to say. Blue, he thought, Blue...Hige? A picture flashed into his head; the blackish/blue wolf tackling an orangish/brown one, happily, lovingly, though both were wounded. The vision faded, and Tsume stopped running, suddenly unstable.

He fell against a wall, panting, trying to figure everything out. "What the hell is going on...?" he demanded of himself. "What is up with all of these damn wolves!"

But he didn't know the answer.

**.............................................................................................................................................................**

Quent walked back into the bar, swearing heavily under his breath. He laid his gun on the bar-table, and paid for his drinks. No one was sad to see him go.

He walked over to his dog and untied the leash, he dog making soft whimpers.

"What s'matter, Blue?" he asked roughly, blinking rapidly as his vision became more clear.

The dog licked the man's hand, and Quent rubbed the dog between it's ears affectionately. "C'mon Blue,. S' bout time we get a move on..." he lead his dog down one alley to the next, eventually making it to the streets. He walked on the sidewalk, passing people with a angry expression on his face.

Beside him, Blue kept staring up at her master's face.

Quent glanced down at his dog. "What's wrong?" he repeated. But the dog couldn't answer; she licked his hand again, nuzzling into the palm of it.

Quent gave a hard sigh, and wondered what had unnerved his dog so suddenly.

**.............................................................................................................................................................**

They spotted Tsume running towards them from an alley, calling Hige's name.

Kiba and Toboe exchanged glances while Hige stepped forward,crossing his arms over his chest, saying, "Yeah, what do you want?"

Tsume stopped in front of the boy, staring down at him. "Do you know anyone by the name of Blue?"

"Blue?" repeated Toboe in a questioning whisper, looking at Kiba.

Kiba shook his head, not recognizing the name, either.

But Hige's eyes widened. For a moment, he stood as a statue, only his eyes darting. Then he ducked over himself and groaned.

"Hige!" cried Toboe, alarmed.

Kiba and Tsume watched.

"Bl-...ue..." said Hige quietly, pained. "I remember..." he said more quietly. He stayed in a doubled-over position, trembling slightly. "I remember her...I saw her..in my memory– or a vision– just now... I saw her die...I think I loved her..."

"If we're talking aboutt he same dog here, then she's alive, Hige." said Tsume. "Follow me– I'll take you to her."

Hige looked up, then looked at Kiba questionably. "We really are wolves, aren't we?"

"What?" bursted Toboe. "We are?"

"Look," said Tsume impatiently, "I don't know what we are, but I'm sure as hell I'd remember being a wolf. That crap isn't real anyway."

"Yes it is!" challenged Toboe, balling his fists angrily. "We found a lunar flower any everything!"

"It's possible that we were once wolves," said Kiba evenly. "And we forgot about it."

"That makes sense." snorted Tsume.

Hige reached up and grabbed Tsume's jacket, staring at himpleadingly. "Tsume!" he said urgently, "Where's Blue?"

"Let go of me, damn it!" Tsume pushed the boy away, then nodded towards the alley. "This way." he said, and he broke off in a run.

Hesitating, Toboe watched Hige chase after Tsume. Kiba looked at Toboe, then said, "What's wrong?"

"I feel like we're on the right track..." said the young boy slowly. "I feel like we're going to figure it all out!" he looked at Kiba, smiling.

Kiba smiled back. "I'm sure we will. Come on."

He ran, and Toboe followed.

They met up quickly with Tsume and Hige, and the four guys ran down the streets, pushing past crowds, until they went down a dark alley, and they followed it like a maze, Tsume leading them to the bar where he had seen Blue.

**.............................................................................................................................................................**

The car wouldn't start a first.

Hubb sighed, and twisted the key once more.

"_Rrrruuummmmmhmhmhmm.._.." the car said at last.

Hubb gave a short laugh, glad he was able to bring the car back to life. He jerked the parking break off, and backed out of the driveway, and turned onto the street. While he drove, his phone rang.

"Who is calling me?" he complained. He took out his phone and looked at it. He read who was calling.

"Cher..." he breathed, worried. He flipped the phone open and put it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hubb?"

"What's wrong, Cher?"

"Hubb, I left work early today, since it turned out they didn't need me...I..." the woman hesitated. "I went to the hospital, and..."

Hubb wasn't breathing; he could hardly even see the road. He slowed at a red light, waiting.

"I'm pregnant."

This struck the man as hilarious. "Ahahah! You must be joking!" he laughed again, smiling. He caught his face in the rear-view mirror, and realized how utterly horrified he looked. "Um..." he cleared his throat.

Cher said nothing.

"Cher...?"

"I have to go." lied the woman.

"No, Cher, please– I'm sorry–" she hung up, and Hubb listened to the soft beeping of disconnection. He sighed. "Damn it..." he muttered, putting his phone in the seat next to him.

A horn blared out, and he looked up.

An old man jay-walked across the street, leading a large blackish/blue dog on a red leash.

Hubb agreed with the other driver in front of him who honked. "Get out of the road!" shouted Hubb angrily. He punched in his horn a few times.

The old man happened to look his way, his dark worn-out face stressed and angry.

Hubb's mouth hung open in shock; he saw in his mind's eyes, that same man being shot in the leg, and Hubb himself and a black-haired girl with blue eyes helping him into the back of an army truck. It had been snowing– now blood mixed in the snow. There were wolves, too.

The flash faded, and Hubb bent over, slightly breathless from shock. He looked up through the side-window, and watched as the old man made it to the other side, flipping off the driver who honked first. I have to talk to him... thought Hubb urgently. It can't be just a random vision– it has to be a memory.

Quent looked down at his dog with a tired expression. "Some people, eh, Blue?" the dog whimpered, seeming sad. Quent started to walk down the side walk, when a car suddenly turned out of it's lane and parked a few feet ahead against the curb.

"What the hell's he doin'...?" muttered Quent suspiciously. The man in the car got out, and started walking to him. "You recognize him, Blue?" he asked the dog.

The dog 's eyes narrowed, trying to remember. But she shook her head.

"Excuse me!" said the man, coming over. He wore a fancy black suite-jacket over a collared, white shirt, blue jeans pressed and neat. This man had orangish/blonde hair, and a smile on his face. He waved, and said, "I apologize if I'm disturbing you, but can I ask you a few questions?"

Quent's eyes narrowed, and he traced his shotgun with his fingers. "What are ya, the police?"

Hubb laughed in good nature, saying, "Actually, I am!"

Quent frowned and spat on the road. "What the hell do you want?"

Blue growled softly, feeling the tension in her master's words.

Hubb, alarmed, hesitated, then said, "Oh, I'm not here to evict you or anything, sir! I was just wondering where I know you from."

"I don't know you..." grunted Quent, eying the skinny man with distaste.

Hubb blushed. "Oh, well..." he looked down at Blue. "Is this your dog?"

Quent nodded once.

"She's awfully pretty." commented Hubb.

"Yeah...now what the hell'd ya want t' ask me?"

Hubb thought for a moment. "I feel like I know you from someplace," he said. "My name's Hubb Leboski, I'm with the Head of the Police Department." he offered his hand.

The old man shook his hand, saying coarsely, "Quent. Nice job...how's the pay?"

"Ah, it's good enough," admitted Hubb. "Get's the bills paid."

Quent snorted, and started to walk off.

"So, what do you do?" asked Hubb, following.

Quent turned and looked at Hubb, his face unpleasantly frowning. "You wouldn't believe me if I told ya." said the old man.

"Try me." replied Hubb.

"I hunt wolves." answered Quent.

Hubb felt his heart skip a beat. "Wolves?" he asked.

"Ya." said Quent.

He hesitated, then started, "I–" Hubb's phone started ringing, cutting him off. He gave Quent an apologetic look, then said, "I'm sorry, hold on." he turned away and flipped open his phone. "Hello?" he said.

"Hubb, what the hell is taking you so long?" demanded his police partner.

"I- I'm sorry, I just got caught up in trafic." lied Hubb.

"Where are you? You're not in the car."

"Yeah, I–" Hubb turned back around. The man and his dog was gone. Where did they go? He thought disappointedly. "I'm sorry." he said flatly to the man on the other line. "I'll be there in five." he hung up the phone, and started walking to his car, nice and slow, pondering his odd flash back– if it was, indeed, his memory, and not a hallucination.

**.............................................................................................................................................................**

"You said she'd be here!" cried Hige, upset.

"Relax, kid!" snapped Tsume. "They must have just left or something."

"But where did she go?" demanded Hige.

"How the hell should I know?" shouted back Tsume.

"Stop it!" said Kiba loudly. "Just calm down." He looked at Hige, "Hige," he said gently. "You were able to remember Blue by just her name." Hige nodded. "I'm sure she will find us as we found each other."

"Yeah, but Tsume said she wasn't a human." said Toboe. "He said she was just a dog."

"No, I said she looked like just a dog, you runt." corrected Tsume, putting a hand on his hip. He looked up at Kiba, explaining. "She acted queer when she saw me– just started staring right into my eyes, whining like a bitch." Hige glared at Tsume hatefully. "Then she started howlin', which freaked out some old man I saw in the bar. I guess she recognized me."

"Hey, have–..." Toboe hesitated, glancing up at the others shyly. "Has any of you been seeing...visions?" It was the first time they had brought it up; no one dared talk about it first, since they all believed they were going crazy. But, to Toboe's relief, Kiba, Tsume, and Hige, all nodded. Toboe smiled, gratefully. "Okay, great, heheh, cause I thought I was going crazy!" he grinned, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"You're not crazy, Toboe." said Kiba, looking at him. "I saw a vision of you, when I first saw you; you were standing in a dessert, looking down. I felt like you were regretting something. You said, 'I want to stay here.' ...then the vision was over."

Toboe blushed, and looked down, feeling uncomfortable, confused.

"When I saw that collar of yours get put 'round your neck," said Tsume, addressing Hige, "I saw myself walking some dark, metal hallway. On either side of me were at least 22 glass containers– and each one had a stuffed wolf the color of your hair, each one wearing a collar–" Tsume pointed– "just like the one you got."

Hige touched his collar, looking down at it. "What, my contest prize...?" he frowned a little, wondering what it meant.

"I also had a vision," continued Tsume, uncertainly, "About that same kind of wolf in the glass, and that dog Blue. They were playing in the snow– I think they were wounded, but they seemed happy enough."

"Hey, why'd you have two visions?" complained Hige.

The white-haired man ignored him."What was your vision about, runt?" Tsume asked, nodding at Toboe.

"I..." Toboe blushed a little. "I saw a pretty girl with pink hair, and scarlet eyes...and she was crying. And I knew that no one can hear her cry but the wolves...Th-that's all I saw, heheh..."

There was a long pause as they tried to think of who the girl was; silence proved that none of them had any ideas.

"When Tsume mentioned Blue," Hige started slowly, "I saw two wolves– the same ones you saw." he glanced at the white-haired man, then back at the ground, thinking. "Blue was laying in the snow, dying...and I– erm...the brownish wolf– he went over and comforted her. He was licking her face...and ...she died." Before anyone could ask questions, or even think about what Hige said, he added quickly, "What did you see, Kiba?" Hige felt ask if he had admitted something very personal, and private– he felt as if he had been that wolf.

"Yeah," said Toboe, looking over at Kiba, curious.

Kiba looked down towards a random alley. "I saw the lunar flower." he said. "But I was not myself. I was watching a bleeding white wolf walking across a snowy mountain. The flower was in it's mouth, and I knew the sap was poisonous, and I tasted it on my tongue, as if I were the wolf, and I knew the sap would not harm me. The wolf was dying– and so was the flower. It might have already been dead."

They stood there in the alley next to the bar, thinking, when Hige said, "I want to find Blue."

Kiba nodded.

Tsume looked around, trying to figure out which way to go.

"I figured out who that girl was." said Hige smugly. "It was that Flower Maiden you were talkin' about earlier."

Kiba's eyes widen. "Cheza?" he breathed.

"Yeah." said Hige. He winked. "Look's like I'm coming in handy!" he laughed a little.

"Hey, when we find Blue," said Toboe, "Do you think she'll be one of us?"

"What do you mean?" asked Kiba.

".I don't know..." Toboe said shyly, "maybe she will want to come with us..."

"That old man wont let me near his dog," said Tsume, moody. "I'll take you guys over to him, but I might have to stay behind so I'm not seen."

Kiba nodded. He didn't mind Tsume leaving them; he still felt anxious around him.

Hige stared down the alley, feet burning to run. I'm coming, Blue... he thought. "All right, let's go all ready!" yelled Hige, kicking a random can on the ground.

Without a word, Tsume took the lead, and they began running– like a pack, almost– or like wolves.

**.............................................................................................................................................................**

A black glove was removed and dropped to the floor, and Darcia ran his fingers gently down Hamona's soft, placid face– lost somewhere in the depths of a coma. "I had promised you," he said softly, "Long ago, that I would bring you to Paradise, my sweet Hamona..." his eyes softened as her breath became more relaxed at his voice. He bent over her, his face inches from hers. "I promised you life..." he continued in a soft, low tone. "...but I am afraid that– for you– time has almost ran out." He made a move to kiss her unmoving lips, but he drew back, and turned away from the bed with haste. "Forgive me..." he said. "For not saving you sooner. I–"

The bedroom door was flung open, and Darcia's secretary walked briskly into the room. "My Lord," she said boldly. "Jaguara's ships are approaching; I believe they come to start war."

"War?" Darcia shouted. "Over what?– what more can they take from me!" He calmly himself, looking away out the wolf-howling window. He breathed deeply for several seconds before speaking. "Thankyou." he said emotionlessly. "You may go."

"And the Nobles?" inquired the woman.

"Prepare them to attack." answered Darcia coldly. "Get Jaugura's army out of the way– blow up any ships that dare launch their missals– and then..."

The secretary waited, breathless, trying to remember what the exact orders she was being given were.

Darcia looked at the woman calmly. "Send Jaugura to me."

"Are-are you sure?" asked the woman.

Darcia nodded. "Yes, my dear..it is time we finish this fight for Paradise."

The woman nodded and left with a hearty, "yes sir!"

The man watched her go, touching the bottom of his left eye. As she left, he spoke quietly to himself. "War has arrived, Hamona. I will be sure it will be the last attack against my castle. And when this war is over– I will finally start my journey to the real wolves' Paradise." he looked at the naked, blonde woman adoringly. "I will not let you die." he promised.

The door to the room were shut– Darcia was left listening to his love's silence.

He bent down, picked back up his glove, and put it on. He gave Hamona one last look before walking down the room, towards the door.

He did not look back. **.............................................................................................................................................................**

Cher sighed, stirring her coffee blankly with a plastic stir-stick. She sat alone on a bench outside a local café, occasionally checking her phone for any missed calls from Hubb. But she received none. She noticed the time on her phone: 5pm. It was getting late.

She was sent from work early because she practically begged them for her to be let go; she felt sick, cursed with the sudden illness of pregnancy. She had told Hubb that they let her go freely– but it was a lie; the people at the lab always needed her help. Instead, too worried about her body, she went to a late doctor's appointment and had them do an x-ray on her, discovering abruptly that she did, indeed, have a baby inside of her. Now that is was over with, she felt guilty, and wondered if she should get an abortion.

Across from her at another table, sat two men in deep discussion over a newspaper. She was surprised to find that some people stayed out at night, reading over a dull newspaper. She couldn't think of anything more boring.

She recalled how down-hearted she had become when they entered the lab, and discovered Cheza– not only had vanished– but seemed to be erased from existence. All of their files on sub-life/human-life had been wiped clean, leaving the scientist team with puzzle pieces of memory to have a new subject prepped and ready. But that, too, was foiled. All the lunar flowers they had been harvesting in the greenroom, had wilted and died. There was no cause for any of it.

Cher believed that the flowers must have given up hope of the wolves– and died.

Cher thought of Cheza, and felt a deep sense of sadness at the loss. There will always be more, she had told herself when they found out Cheza was gone. Only when they saw the empty greenhouse, did they realize how much they had needed Cheza to live; with no one available to use, the scientists were forced to open old text books of wolf history and their long-sought-after Paradise. Has Paradise really been hidden? Cher wondered.

She sighed, and took a sip out of her coffee; it was cold and disappointing.

Her beeper in her pocket sounded, and see checked it.

They needed her back at the lab.

Cher stood up and pulled her gray shoulder-bag off of chair's back, and slung is across her shoulder. She left a two dollar tip on the table for her coffee, and walked down the sidewalk, towards the bus-stop. No surprise to her, Cher saw a bus waiting on the curb. next to the stop. It was late, but surely someone would be running the bus for an all-nighter.

As she walked, she counted out the correct amount of change to get her back to her work-place. The bus-doors opened, and a man waved her in. She paid the man, and filed down the isles, over to a seat in the mid-section. Only six other people road the bus.

The doors closed with a soft gust of wind, and the driver pulled his large bus into the street, and down the road.

The sudden wind as the bus drove by, rustled the two men's newspapers, and the men complained sharply. They did not notice the two one-dollar bills taking flight in the sky.

On the table, a very cold cup of coffee rippled.

.**............................................................................................................................................................**

Quent leaned against an alley wall, drinking from the flask he would keep in his jacket pocket. Beside him, her head in his lap, laid his faithful dog Blue. Quent's large hand stroked the dog lovingly down her back, from her neck as he slowly became wasted.

"Where did we go wrong, Blue?" he asked quietly. "We had a long run...chased a few rabbits... but we hadn't seen one wolf in two and a half years."

Blue nuzzled her head deeper into the man's lap, whining softly.

"Blue..."

The dog raised her head, ears up, staring at her master in ready obedience. Quent smiled faintly, his eyes blinking back hot tears of exhaustion. "How far do you think we have t' go before we see a legend become reality?"

"_Not very long." _her look said.

Quent smiled and gave a hard laugh. He took another drink from his flask. "I hope you're right..." he said slowly.

Time grew between them as neither said a word.

The sun was setting slowly across the world, darkening the sky, shedding stars.

"Blue..." mumbled Quent tiredly. His hands curcled around the leash, then released it slowly.

The dog licked his cheek, then pawed at his legs, whining.

"Blue, I'm too tired...t' move...just...watch over me while..I...sleep..." The man bent over himself, and began to snore.

"_I wont leave you, Father_." Blue's look replied.

But Quent was already asleep.

The dog knew better than to sleep on her master, so she went as far as they leash allowed, and sat down, facing the entrance tot he alley. Her ears up and alert, she listen to the world as it slowly emptied of it's inhabitants.

Above, a bat squeaked in the sky, darting off from it's hiding place in an old trash-bin. The dog watched it fly up into the sky until it blended with the darkness.

**.............................................................................................................................................................**

Kiba was the first to spot her; like a gang of robbers, he ordered the others to be quiet with a silent gesture, then pointed across the street to a sleeping man and a sleeping dog.

"Hige, tsume," he said quietly. They came closer. "Is she the one?"

Tsume nodded. "Yeah, that's them." He lit a cigarette and started walking off.

Kiba didn't stop him.

"Tsume, wait!" Toboe whispered over to him. He walked over quickly and trailed behind the white-haired man. "What if we need you?"

"They won't." he answered shortly. He leaned against a wall, just out of sight of the other alley.

Toboe sighed and joined him, saying, "Well, I guess they wont need me either."

Tsume said nothing. He sucked his cigarette quietly, burning a light in the dark.

Toboe watched him for a moment, then looked over to where Kiba and Hige were preparing to confront the dog. "I hope nothing bad happens..." he said quietly.

"Give them a chance." said Tsume. "They know what they're doin'."

Toboe nodded, and looked back at Kiba and Hige. He wondered what would happen if the man wakes up. "Wait..." the boy said suddenly.

Tsume looked voer at him.

"You said.." Toboe looked up at Tsume, eyes wide. "You said Blue recognized you, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well...wouldn't it be better if she saw one guy she knew, rather than two she doesn't?"

Tsume held his breath. The runt was right, he reasoned. He got off of the wall and stepped towards Kiba and Hige, about to either join them, or go alone. But it was too late–

Giving each other a brief nod, Hige and Kiba trotted down the road, across the street, and stood quietly at either side of the alley.

Tsume sighed, swearing under his breath, and stood, tense, watching the two others.

Toboe stood up and stood beside Tsume, watching with equal angst.

Against the outer wall, Hige, breathing hard, caught Kiba's eyes, and Kiba nodded once more. It was now or never.

Hige turned quickly on his heels, and went first into the alley, Kiba following.

**.............................................................................................................................................................**

Blue stirred in and out of sleep, fully awaking when she heard an odd scuffling outside. She sat up, ears standing sharply on her head.

She sniffed the air, and smelled two people nearby. They had an odd, familiar smell to them, mixed with the scent of fear and panic. Whoever was coming, Blue thought, either want to rob my Father, or steal me. She stood up, glancing at Quent.

I don't want to wake him... she thought sympathetically.

The noise sounded again.

Blue took a step forward, fur standing on end, quivering. She showed her large, wolf-like fangs and let out a low growl, hardly making a sound.

The next moment, two boys appeared running over, stopping short when they noticed the dog was suddenly standing and fully alert.

Hige gazed at the wolf, his heart pounding in his chest. "Blue..." he said quietly.

Kiba looked cautiously from his friend, to the dog, then to the man who was too wasted to wake up. "Try not to make any sudden mvoements..." warned Kiba quietly.

Hige squatted down, and stared over at the dog. "Hiya!" he said, and waved.

Blue blinked. She did not know these boys, but one of them carried a scent of some one she had seen earlier, and recognized. To confirm it herself, the dog walked over to Hige, who opened his mouth slightly in shock, and Blue began sniffing the boy.

"K-Kiba..!" whispered Hige excitedly.

Kiba stared at Blue, ready to kick the dog if it dared to bite Hige. He glanced over at the sleeping man. His eye caught a glint, and he noticed a silver flask on the ground.

Blue snuffed the boy's clothes deeply, then she found the scent of Tsume and gave a very sad, quiet, howl.

Hige gazed at the dog, frozen.

Blue inclined her head at the boy, then looked up at Kiba, who stared back warningly.

The dog looked at her leash, then back at Hige, wagging her tail slightly.

"Okay!" Hige said quickly. He bent down and started to unhook the dog's leash. A firm hand grabbed the shoulder of his shirt and pulled him back.

"Don't, Hige!" hissed Kiba.

Hige frowned darkly at the older boy, and said, "Don't tell me what I can't do!"

The dog whimpered quietly, her body electrified by the will to run– to chase a scent, to track, and to find.

Kiba looked away, and watched the old man sleep. The man's hand twitched. "Hige," started Kiba, looking back at the boy. "we should–"

"There!" Hige let go of the leash, and Blue darted past the boy, and ran across the street.

"What?" burst Hige, shocked. He stood up and ran out of the alley. "Blue!" he shouted. "Wait!"

"Urrrhhh...."

Kiba looked at the man as he sat up, rubbing his head. He looked at the leash he held, and followed the leash to the end– he saw no dog. "Blue!" he cried. He stood up sharply, snatching up his gun Kiba hadn't noticed was laying behind him.

Upon seeing Kiba, Quent aimed his gun, shouting, "What did you do t' my Blue!"

**.............................................................................................................................................................**

When Hige followed the dog out of the alley, he saw Blue dart around Toboe, and tackle Tsume to the ground.

"No!" cried Toboe, alarmed. "Kiba!"

"Blue–" started Hige in a yell. Behind him, Quent was shouting. Kiba... he thought, glancing back to the alley. Blue... He looked back at Blue, and noticed she was not harming Tsume, but licking him. This upset Hige more than when he thought she was attacking him. Why, Blue? He thought miserably. Why him? I'm right here!

"Hige!" cried Kiba.

Hige whirled around and poked his head into the alley.

Quent had Kiba against the wall, gun stabbed into his chest. "Where's Blue!" demanded Quent. "I know you took her!"

Kiba strained his body to breathe, the gun lunged into both of his ribs in a bad position. He could not answer.

"Where, is, she!" barked Quent, his eyes rolling in his drunk anger.

Hige looked around and, seeing the flask, picked it up and threw it dead-aim into the side of Quent's head, the corner of the flask eating into his skin.

Quent cried out, lowering his gun as he swore he had just been shot. He placed a hand over his wound, and found only a few drops of blood. Confused, Quent tried to grab Kiba again and pin him against the wall, but Kiba had ran out of the way.

Now both boys stood side-by-side, blocking the exit of the alley.

They glared evilly at the man, warning them.

"Two against one, huh...?" snorted Quent, wiping the blood off onto his pants. He raised the shotgun, bringing it up at the boys' faces. "How bout I eliminate one of ya so it'd be fair!"

That moment, Blue leaped from between the dogs, skidding to a stop between them and her master.

Tsume and Toboe appeared a sceond later to stand on the other side of Hige and Kiba.

Intimidated by the odd group, the man lowered his gun, muttering, "What is this...? a joke?" He eyed them one by one, them all of them at once, and something flickered in his mind.

He saw them turn into wolves; The white-haired man into a half gray/half-white wolf with a scar on it's chest; he saw the dark-haired boy turn into a solid white wolf; the freckled-faced boy turned into an orangish/brown wolf, and the last one turned into a light brown wolf. But there were not standing in an alley. They stood in the snow, and Blue was with them. They were afraid of a certain evil that was approaching them. He also saw, in his mind, the weird police man, and this made the old man feel like he was missing a piece of himself.

When the vision paased, he found himself on his knees, gasping for air. Blue sat close to his side, licking his hands.

"Blue..." whispered Quent, feeling very tired again. "Blue...I'm sorry..." he did not know why he said it– he only felt that it needed to be said. After casting his eyes around at the boys, the man's vision grew spotted with black, until he passed out.

Father! Cried Blue in her thoughts. She nudged him with her nose, whimpering.

"He's okay." said Kiba. "He just needs to rest."

Tsume nodded.

Toboe stared awkwardly at Blue, while Hige looked upset and lonely, not quite meeting the dog's eyes.

Blue stepped forward and pawed at Hige's pants, startling him. His friends watched as Blue began whimpering at Hige until he looked her in the eye.

When their eyes met, Blue's tail began to wag.

**.............................................................................................................................................................**

—**Will only continue if reviews are good. Please let me know if I have my facts wrong.**

**Thanks for reading this long-ass story.**

**-Dustal**


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2.**........... **5/14/10**

_Notice: _At the end of the last story, Hige and Kiba are standing in an alley with Quent in front of him, then

"...that moment, Blue leaped from between the dogs, skidding to a stop between them and her master..."..I did not mean to say 'dogs.' Hige and Kiba are full-blooded humans, not wolves. According to my story, it's possible that they may never be wolves again– no matter how much memory they gain of their alternate lives.

(Thanks for reading my Story, and this little stupid_ notice _thing....)

**.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................**

**............................................................................................................................................................**

The dark clouds slowly gathered for another silent eclipse of the sun, bleeding darkness across the castle of the Darcia generations, smoldering the lights of the Nobles' ships and the air-force parties of both sides. These ships hummed quietly in union with each other, oblivious of the shouting, violent, battle-ready men inside their bodies.

A single man stood in the castle, overlooking the vast ghostly lands that he had inherited– a land that was once pure and beautiful. A land that could now only be found in Paradise.

This man turned from the window and took up his white mask, and placed it carefully on his face, the raven-feathers sewn into the head-piece bending down like servants over his pale skin. He glanced to his right, and saw his beloved laying in an endless, dying slumber. He gazed at her silently; he had no words to tell her.

Safe in her own castle, watching the battle unfold through her cursed smoke and mirrors, Jaguara felt a sick smile of bloodlust tug on her lips until she made way for her bright, sharp teeth. She opened these teeth and began to laugh, finding victory in the very air she breathed. Her long flowing cloak wiped the floor clean of small bones, sending up spurts of dust as she started to spin in-place.

"Darcia!" she cried to the empty room, "My love... You will never find Paradise! Hope lies in the wolves, and I have located the last lunar flower! Your quest is over." The woman stopped spinning and adjusted her painted-mask, smiling with a sweet calmness. "Now you will pay for what you've done to me." she said in a hiss. "I will leave your castle in ruins, and Harmona... will die before your very eyes."

**............................................................................................................................................................**

The policeman's reserved spot was taken; he was forced to park eight blocks away form the building, next to a café. Two men rattled their newspapers, muttering something about a Wolves Fair, and a boy named Hige, who happened to win a stolen dog-collar that had belonged to the Nobles. This information was supposed to be kept hush-hush, but apparently no one could be trusted– especially not the press.

The Fair was rigged, one of the men thought. Or the kid was just very unlucky.

But Hubb was not interested in the mens dribble. He turned towards his office building, so far away, and began running, making it to the parking lot in ten minutes.

Hubb pushed open the doors of the building, and began sprinting down the hall to the office, feeling guilty in more ways than one. When he reached the office door, he stopped and took a few breaths so he wouldn't be panting like a dog when he entered. _It's bad enough I'm two hours late,_ he thought shamefully.

Leaning against the wall, Hubb heard a soft ringing, then it grew louder every second. In haste, Hubb realized it was his phone and he dug it out of his pocket and flipped it open without checking the caller.

"Huh-hello?" he swallowed hard, breathing hard from his nostrils.

"Hubb, is that you out there..?"

_Oh shit_. Hubb's face turned red and he glanced at the door, and noticed through the pixel-glass, a dark shadow getting larger, forming into a man.

"Hubb?" said the man through the phone, his voice muffled on the other side of the door.

Not knowing what else to do, Hubb flipped the phone shut and combed his hair back with his fingers. He was just adjusting his tie when his partner opened the door. He did not look very happy.

"You're late, Goddamnit, what took you so long?" growled the policeman, his eyes squinting in disbelief as he noticed sweat under Hubb's armpits. "You look like shit."

"I- I know, I'm sorry–" stammered Hubb. "I just–"

But the other man clapped him on the shoulder, grinning. "Yeah, I heard." he said. "You're having a baby."

Hubb felt his stomach drop. He had forgotten about that.

"Come on in," said the other man suddenly. "You're just in time to hear the end of the meeting."

Hubb hung his head, sighing, and he could have sworn he heard his partner add quietly as they walked in, "I'm going to cut your pay if you ever embarrass me like that again."

When Hubb sat down at the table with the rest of the frowning men, he was criticized and hated for his bad timing and bad hygiene.

To his growing shame, no one sat near Hubb during the rest of the meeting.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

When Quent woke up, he heard voices.

"Your horse is mine." said one of the voices.

"Nuh-uh!" cried another. "I moved him right_ there_!"

_Horses...? _thought Quent confusedly. The old man looked around and noticed he was against the wall, and he saw that he was in someone's house, and not the alley. Blue laid on her back at Quent's feet, one leg twitching in her dreams. The old man smiled slightly, and looked around him, feeling out of place.

The house was large and very old-fashion. There were pictures along the wall of various cowboys and Indians, of hand-woven tapestries, and of laughing children. Leaning closer, the old man noticed he recognized him.

"Where the hell am I...?" he mumbled to himself.

"Oh, great!" Toboe crawled over to him from playing a chess game on the floor with Hige, a huge smile on his face. "You're at my Granny's." he explained. "She was terribly upset that I wasn't home sooner– I thought she said "be home by ten" but she said "be home by 7!" Hahah...oops..." Toboe rubbed the back of his head, blushing. "She didn't really like that I brought home strangers, either..."

"Toboe!" Hige called over to the young boy.

Toboe looked, confused.

"Your move– King me!"

"Hey, no fair! You cheated!" Toboe ran over and flopped down on his knees, pursing his lip out as he examined all the pieces.

"Do you even know_ how _to play that game?" said Tsume, frowning at them from against a wall.

"Just let them play their game." said Kiba, sitting on the floor, his back against a chair.

Tsume looked over at Kiba. "They're doing it wrong." said the older man.

"Does that bother you?" asked Kiba.

"No shit!" snapped Tsume.

"Hey, where did your Granny go?" asked Hige, looking up from the chess board. "Didn't she say she was going to make us dinner?"

"Oh, um..." Toboe said, blushing. "She said she was too tired and..."

"And what?" demanded Tsume.

"She, um...went to bed...and," Toboe continued, grinning sheepishly, "....we had to wait till breakfast."

"Aww, man!" Hige complained loudly.

"Keep your voice down." warned Kiba.

"But I haven't eaten anything since the Fair!"

"At least you ate." said Tsume.

"Well, I can get some food out of Granny's pantry!" Toboe offered.

"Sure, why not?" said Hige.

"She wouldn't mind?" said Kiba.

"No, she doesn't mind sharing at all!" said Toboe proudly. He ran out of the living room and into the kitchen.

Quent walked over and joined the group, sitting down on a couch. He began to rub the stress from his face.

Kiba watched him. "I'm sorry about what happened at the alley." Kiba said. "I hope you wont hold it against us."

"Nah..." said Quent slowly. "...I had a pretty weird nightmare about some shit...I think I got it all figured out..." But the truth was, he did not find the dream disturbing– though it had wolves in it. He felt at peace. He saw himself laying in the snow, hugging onto a wolf. Both of them were dying, but he felt a strange bond with the wolf that he could not explain. Around him he heard the yells and screams of two other wolves, but he could not remember what they looked like when he woke up. With a sigh, Quent looked down at his hands.

Kiba stared at him, waiting for an explanation. But he gave none.

"They're a little out-dated," said Toboe, returning to the room, tossing the guys a loaf of bread, box of cookies, canned spaghetti, and a variety of canned fruits.

"Hey, this one's from 2050!" stated Hige excitedly, turning the can of spaghetti in his hands..

"Heheh...is it really?" Toboe said, grinning. He tossed Tsume a can of oranges. It hit the floor hard, rolling at his feet.

"I'm not eating that crap." he said hatefully, looking away.

"Tsume's right." said Kiba. "It's not safe to eat old food."

"Oh, it's okay." said Toboe. "I eat it all the time!"

There was a pause, in which Quent looked up from his hands to stare at the boy.

"Well, it's very unhealthy." said Kiba. "You should go shopping for her and get her some fresh food."

Blue woke up and walked over to her master quickly, her tail wagging. Quent smiled and rubbed the dog between her ears as she sat down at his feet.

Hige watched Blue, admiringly.

Toboe shrugged, looking away. "It doesn't bother her..."

Hige rested his face in his hand, laying across the floor. "So what're we gonna eat now?"

Someone's stomach growled. The room fell silent, everyone thinking it was themself, being too embarrassed to say anything.

"Enough of this shit already!" spat Tsume. He pushed off against the wall and walked tot he front door, saying, "I'm going out."

"Want me to come with you?" burst Toboe, dropping a loaf of molded bread he was thinking about eating.

"No." said Tsume. He went out, and closed the door softly behind him, not wanting to wake the old lady.

_He does have a heart, _thought Kiba, smiling slightly.

Casting a quick glance around at everyone, Toboe said, "I'm going with him anyway– he might get lost." and he ran out the door, forgetting to close it.

"Not it!" was Hige's immediate action; he raised his hand high.

"Well that's selfish of you." criticised Tsume, crossing his arms.

"I got it." said Kiba. He stood up and walked over to close the door.

Outside, he noticed the moon was full.

If the wolves are really out there. He thought to himself, Who will protect the Flower until they find it?

Hige sat up, tilting his head. "Hey, Kiba. You all right?"

"I'm just thinking..." said Kiba softly. "I'm worried about the flower."

"Ah, nothing's happened to it before we found it!" said Hige, and clsoed his eyes smartly. "I'm sure it'll be fine tomorrow." He opened one eye and looked at Kiba. "Hey, come on! How 'bout a game of checkers?"

"That's chess, you moron.." mutter Tsume. Leaning his head back against the wall.

Kiba said nothing. He stared at the moon, and wondered why he found it so beautiful. Staring at the moon, his memory showed him a pink-haired girl spinning in a circle under the moon, with a gray wolf, a brown wolf, an orangish wolf, and a white wolf, running tail-to-tail around the girl. They stopped suddenly, sitting in a circle, and threw their heads to the dark sky, crying out with their souls.

When the vision faded, Kiba leaned against the doorway, his eyes closed. His head started to pound, his lungs struggle to take in air– but all he could think of was, _I am the white wolf._

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

After departing from the bus, Cher had gone straight to work and quickly joined the science team in discovering the sudden deaths of all the lunar flowers, and– most importantly– Cheza's disappearance/death/kidnaping (even now, they still wasn't sure which it was).

Cher sat down heavily into a chair, her eyes hurting from reading so many books and online documents. She looked over at the table she had been working on, where large stacks of lunar flower and wolf history books dominated over a weak pile of blank notebook paper.

She was supposed to be taking notes f anything she found crucial as a part of finding the reasons to all of the odd occurrences, but she was out of focus, and losing perspective. She was worried about her baby, and how disapproving Hubb had been when she had told him the news.

"Oh, Hubb..." she sighed, shaking her head. She removed a pen from between her ear, and stood up. She thought of a name for her baby, and she wanted to write it down. Smiling, she walked over to the table and bent over it, and spelled out in dark, circling letters, _Darcia_.

"Darcia?" she said, as if the name that came out of the pen was not the name she wanted to write. Cher frowned and repeated the name, more slowly. "Dar..cia..." _Where the heck did I come up with that name?_ She thought, stunned.

Then she remembered something. She remembered a man with a strong, cold face, picking up by her neck, threatening her very life. Then...removing a patch that concealed his left eye...showing her the eye of a wolf.

Cher found herself on the floor, a hand pressed against her chest to make sure her heart was still beating. Her eyes were wide in horror. She stood up, looked over at the table. The paper was gone.

Cher looked around wildly, feeling very much like she was living a nightmare. She found the paper on the ground, right next to her feet, the name Darcia awakening her memory of him even further.

She screamed.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

Jaguara was not in the battle, Darcia's secretary had reported curtly. She had left, in search of the lunar flower. But her Lord did not believe her.

"That's impossible..." said Darcia, looking back at the controls of his ship.

"Actually, sir, we have proof." replied the woman.

Darcia looked at her, and offered his hand; she placed the files in them. The man opened it, and flipped through a few pages of importance, until he spotted the words 'lunar flower.' It was true. According to the file, an inside man of Darcia's had joined up with Jaguara, and followed them to one of the ships. But instead of boarding it, Jaguara had chosen a much smaller ship, and allowed with her twenty well-armed men. This man was killed in action only five minutes after giving his report to Darcia's officials.

Dacria closed the file, his face creased with rage under his feathered mask.

"Thankyou, my dear." he said quietly. He walked over to the window of his ship and stared out. _The lunar flowers are in bloom? No, that's not it...there is only one left... the last key..._He thought to himself, as ships spiraled through the air, some on fire, with people leaping vainly for their lives to fall their doom. A missile exploded dangerously close, shaking the ship, causing alarms to sound. If it had hit them, they would all be dead.

"Sir?" called one of the men, seeking orders.

Darcia's hands reached for each other, clasping neatly behind his back.

Two more bombs exploded before Darcia finally spoke.

"Turn this ship back; if we do not reach Jaguara before she reaches the flower– we have already lost."

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

Hubb could hardly keep his eyes open on the drive home from the remaining half-hour of the meeting– and the long walk back to the car. All of the negative hatred the police-force rained on him, he felt like he had just wasted ten years of his life.

His phone rang.

He dug around in his jacket pocket, and dropped it accidently on the floor by his feet.

"Shit.." Hubb looked down at it, and not at the road, as his phone continued to ring.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

Once she had re-gained conciseness, Cher excused herself from work, and left the building. She told no one of what happened, and the first thing she wanted to do was call her ex-husband. Running down the sidewalk, she paused at a bus-stop, waving her hand as if hailing a taxicab.

"Come on, Hubb, answer the phone..." she said anxiously, glancing down the streets for a bus. She adjusted her gray shoulder-bag, and checked the phone to make sure it was calling the right person.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

"_Beeeeeuuuuurrn!"_

Hubb cried out, popping his head back up and grabbing the steering wheel; he jerked the car sideways dangerously, just missing a fancy black car. He slowed down as he approached a red-light, then stopped.

His phone stopped ringing. Hubb bent down and picked it up, flipping it open to see one Missed Call: Cher.

He re-dialed her number to call her back.

"Cher..." he said quietly, looking around himself to make up a sort of apology letter to read off of. _She's probably really upset with me... _he thought.

He did not realize his car was rolling.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

"What?" Cher was sent to the voice-mail as her phone read, Call Failed. She exited out and re-dialed Hubb's number– but it went straight to his voice mail. Cher swore and became impatient, and started jogging down the sidewalk, toward's the police station to find him.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

The light was still red. Hubb received no answer from Cher.

Hubb cleared his throat a few times before beginning to leave a message. "Um..hey, Cher.. I'm sorry I missed you..I guess that's means you're okay now, right? Um..."

Something roared across the sky, slow and evil-sounding, shaking the traffic lights, and causing people on the sidewalk to scream and press against walls in terror. Hubb took the phone away from his ear, leaning up in his seat as he saw a small, yet large, ship of the Nobles blazing over-head. "Cher...uh..."

The phone beeped, and asked if he was finished with the message, he may hang up, or press star for more options. The phone dropped from his limp fingers as he watched the ship go over some buildings, and out of sight.

Someone in a large, empty moving van was just as fascinated by the ship, and, since 'green means go!' he didn't really check to see if people were in the middle of the road– least of all, another car.

The moving van smashed into the driver-side of Hubb's car, metal shoving itself deep into the smaller car, shattering the window as it forced it's way through. The impact slung Hubb sideways, then jerking him back– his head smashed into the other car's front-end, leaving a burst of blood from where he head was brutally broken open; the blood dripped from the streaming truck's dirty front-grills, falling to land on the road as black dots.

Above the car wreck, Hubb's light switched from red, to green.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

Cher shoved her phone back into her purse, then slowed to a stop upon hearing the ship. She looked up into the night sky as it groaned overhead, it's lights flickering, darting, like spot-lights trying to catch a thief.

What are the Nobles doing over here? Cher thought, confused. She was also afraid. It was possible that a war was going on– or just beginning.

More alarmed than ever, Cher changed course and started to go home.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

Tsume and Toboe had been walking for at least ten minutes before Tsume noticed how bright the moon was. Toboe looked up, following the white-haired man's gaze across the sky.

"Hey, Tsume..." said Toboe quietly.

"What?"

"Do you think we really are wolves?"

Tsume looked at Toboe, frowning. "That's impossible. You shouldn't believe everything people tell you to." he started walking, and Toboe followed. "Besides," continued Tsume, "If we were wolves, wouldn't we have changed back at the scent of the Flower?"

Toboe's eyes widened, and his ehart began to race. He stopped walking, thinking.

Tsume left him behind.

"Tsume!" called Toboe hurridly. "Th-the lunar flower...we have to go back and check on her!"

"What? Are you kidding?" snorted Tsume.

"No, really..." said Toboe, looking back to where his Granny's house was, so far away. "I think we should all go and make sure it's all right..."

"I'll pass." Tsume started walking.

"You want to protect it, don't you!" shouted Toboe, fed-up with Tsume's unwillingness.

Tsume looked at the younger boy over his shoulder.

"Don't you want to save her?" Toboe was saying. "Don't you feel like that's your only reason?"

Tsume said nothing.

"Kiba...Kiba told me, while we were taking care of the old man, he- he told me that...." Toboe stared down, thinking. "He told me that the reason we want to protect her, is because we protected the other Flower; it's our instinct's from our toher past– or something like that..."

"Are you saying we were wolves?" snapped Tsume.

"Yeah, I–" Toboe was cut off.

"What kind of bull shit is that?"

"But...Tsume..." Toboe looked at him, hurt. "What else could be the reason this is happening to us?"

Tsume stared at the boy, his eyes widening. _Damn it, he's right. _Thought Tsume. Looking away, he said in a strained voice, "All right...fine. Let's go..." He turned and started walking down the alley, towards the streets.

"But, Tsume!" cried Toboe, running over. "What about the others?"

"They don't need to come." he said shortly.

"But- Kiba– hige– Blue–"

"I said they don't need to come!" Tsume said, louder. "Two guys standing over a damn flower is enough."

Toboe looked down, then back to where his Granny's house was._ I guess he's right_, thought the boy. Four people and a dog would be a crowd in that little alley. He looked up and quickened his pace to match Tsume's strut.

"C-can we hurry?" asked Toboe, a feeling of anxiety washing over him suddenly.

Tsume gritted his teeth, feeling the same feeling, and started to run, Toboe sprinting along-side him.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

"Man, what's taking them so long?" groaned Hige, laying on his back, watching a very old fan collect dust.

"They'll be here soon." said Kiba, though he wasn't sure. He felt anxious, but he couldn't pin-point why.

"I'm starving!" complained Hige.

"That's cause you're so fat." said Quent, grinning with one corner of his mouth as he got more comfortable in the recliner.

Blue gave a long yawn, but kept glancing at the door, as if she was preparing to run out as soon as it was open.

"Hey, Kiba!" said Hige suddenly. "Come play another round with me!"

"I've beat you at least five times all ready." said Kiba. "Aren't you tired of losing?"

"Yeah, well, that was my warm up." he winked. "Besides, I'm sure I'll beat ya this time– I'm feeling anxious just talking about it!"

Blue and Kiba looked at Hige, eyes wide.

"What did you say?" asked Kiba quickly.

"Um...I'm anxious?" Hige shrugged, then frowned slightly. "Why?"

"We have to go back." said Kiba, standing up.

Hige knew where he meant, and said, "Why?"

"The flower..." Kiba looked out the door, worry in his face. "I think something is about to happen."

Blue stood up, leaving Quent's side. She looked back over at him and inclined her head, whining softly.

Quent sighed and got off the recliner, saying, "Fine, Blue..." he looked at Kiba and Hige as they both went to the door, and waited. "What flower are you talkin' about?"

"The lunar flower." answered Kiba, opening the door.

"But you're not wolves." said Quent, almost asking.

"Nah," said Hige, smiling. "But we used to be!" he followed Kiba out the door, and intot he night.

Looking down at his loyal dog, Quent patted Blue on the head, saying, "you wouldn't betray me like that, would ya?"

The dog gave a soft whimper.

"Ya, I know." Quent walked over to the door, holding it open for the dog. "You're a good dog."

Once Blue stepped outside, Quent followed, closing the door gently behind him.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

Nearing Freeze City, Darcia told the men to change course and set for Jaguara's castle. They wanted to ask why, but they were too afraid to; They knew that under his mask, Darcia was not in a very good mood.

_If we reach Jaguara's castle in time, they can drop me off there with a few men and we can catch her by surprise_... Darcia thought. _If we meet her on the way back from Freeze City, though, we would be forced to attack her and possibly harm the lunar flower...I cannot allow this._

As the ship roared towards the other castle, Darcia looked out the side-door of the ship, and gazed down at the land below as it blurred before his eyes. His memory flashed before his eyes, and he was no longer looking at what he was now.

Before he saw his stolen artificially-flower-girl, the one he named Cheza, the one known as the Flower Maiden. They stood in the very ship Darcia was in now. And he watched as Cheza backed away from him, choosing to risk death, rather than be used any further. He saw her fall just out of his reach, out of the ship, and go twirling down to earth like a specialized seed, to land harmlessly to the bottom. But the picture did not end. He also saw– rubbing his eyes, grasping to the corner of the ship– a wolf. A white wolf being hugged and marked as the Chosen One by Cheza herself, as she stands in a clear pool, regaining her strength, a smile on her face.

"**Darcia**!"

Darcia was falling. He fell and he was not afraid. He was confused. He was falling from the sky head-first until he readjusted himself, making himself soar. The ground was approaching must faster than he would believe possible.

Above him, he heard his ship groan and complain as it was forced to slow down, and parachuter-jumpers were organized and arranged inside.

_Harmona... _he thought, smiling slightly_. _His eyes closed_. Was that you who called my name as I fell? Or was it your memory that I was merely reflecting on? ...I've wanted to hear your voice for so long... _His eyes opened, and the tears he shed were instantly torn from his eyes, stinging them like salt._ We were so close... _he thought quietly. _We almost made it..._

The world spun around him, green blurred before his eyes, along with brown, red, white, and black. Darcia closed his eyes and braced for impact.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

Jaguara excited her ship after landing it illegally on a roof, and stood in all her hidden-beauty, over-looking the City. She traced a slender finger down the edge of her mask, smiling.

"We are here." said pleasantly.

"Yes." agreed a cloaked man behind her. "The flower is waiting just below us in the alley."

"Excellent!" she said. "Now help me get down there." Jaguara took hold of his arm and told him to move. He obeyed, leading her to the edge of the roof, where they would use magic to bring them safely down.

"The roads are clear." confirmed one of the cloaked men behind her.

So they jumped.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

Tsume and Toboe reached the alley just as a tall, cloaked woman with an ornate mask stood staring down at it, smiling evilly at it.

"Hey!" cried Toboe, alarmed.

Tsume's eyes widened when he noticed five or so cloaked men above on the roofs, with two others in the deeper section of the alley, hiding.

"Get behind me." said Tsume, grabbing and pulled Toboe behind him a little.

Toboe blinked, and looked around, eyes widening as he realized that what was happening would be considered an ambush. He scooted closer behind the older man.

The woman smiled slowly, and turned towards them.

"What are you boys doing so late at night?" she asked, then began chuckling as more cloaked men came into view, blocking the entrance behind them.

"T-Tsume–"

"I know, shut up!" Tsume snapped. He glared at the tall woman evilly, then he gave a sound of shock when she moved her cloak out of the way, showing off a long, sharp sword.

Toboe began to stammer in fright. "T-T–"

Somewhere, a wolf howled.

The laughter stopped, and the people froze.

A long silence swept over the two boys and the Nobles.

Jaguara looked around, trying to remain composure. _If there is a real wolf out there, they must find it before someone kills it– or Paradise will never be mine!_ Then at last she spoke, "A wolf?" Jaguara spat. "Go! Spread out! Find it!" Five of the men ran off, including two of the ones that had stood behind her.

_Blue..._? thought Toboe. _No..it couldn't have been! It has to be– someone else... but who? _Toboe's eyes grew large in wonder. _D-does that mean the flower has chosen?_

_No way..._thought Tsume, staring at the flower.

In the shadow of Jagura, the flower began to bloom.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

Cher fell down in panic when she heard the wolf. She did not know where it was, or where it came from, but she was certain it was after her, she stood and ran until she met a T in the road. She looked around wildly down one street, and saw the remains of a car crash; glass, blood, pieces of random metal. She wondered how long ago it happened, and that the cause was.

_Stop thinking! _She shoulder herself.

Looking down the road to her left, she saw nothing. So she took that road, running down the sidewalk. She saw a little boy running towards her, and slowed, but kept a steady pace. The boy had blonde hair, and he looked about five years old. Where is your mother? Was her first thought, then she panicked, saying, "Boy! What are you doing out here? There's wolves!"

The boy smiled. He ran towards her so quickly, then darted past her, just touching her leg.

Cher flinched. She had felt fur. Turning back the way she came, she saw a yellowish wolf bounding down the road, looking back at her.

Cher blinked.

She blinked again.

Then she fainted.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

Darcia's secretary ordered the Nobles to bring the ship down, over and over– even as they were obeying. "Hurry!" she commanded them.

But as they ship spun lower and lower towards the earth, the woman dreaded that they would find Darcia in fatal condition– or dead.

The moon was bright in the sky.

She thought about wolves. _If Darcia were to die, what would they do? Would a rebel Noble take his place, or would we give up on Paradise forever?_ She didn't know. And the thought of joining Jaguara was unspeakable.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

Kiba, Hige, Quent, and Blue stopped dead in their tracks when they heard the call of the wolf.

Blue began sniffing the air, then she tilted her head and gave a short bark.

Quent followed her immediately as the dog began running ahead. Kiba and Hige followed them quickly, glancing at each other.

"Did you hear that?" asked Hige, though he knew the answer.

Kiba nodded, looking at him. "Yeah." he said. "We have to hurry. Something's not right."

"Yeah, I feel the same way." replied Hige.

They ran out into the street, where Quent leaned down over a blonde woman in the middle of the road, Blue nudging her with her nose.

"What happened?" called Kiba, running over.

"Just found her here!" Quent called back, neither not knowing why the felt the need to yell.

"Is she all right?" asked Kiba.

"We have to go!" yelled Hige.

Kiba, Kige, and Blue felt so wound-up, that they wanted to scream, to run, to fight. They knew the flower was in trouble– so why were they lagging behind.

"Quent– get her out of the road!" Kiba said quickly, and he took off, and Hige followed. Blue began to run after them, but Quent gave her such a look of abandonment that she sat down right where she stood and licked his hand.

Groaning with effort, the man picked up the woman and ran across the street, laying her down on the sidewalk. He wiped the sweat off his brow, and watched his dog.

Sitting with ears twisted behind her, Blue stared at her master with unfocused eyes, as she tried to picture what was happening.

Quent waved a hand. "Yeah...go on, Blue...You can go sniff the flower..."

Blue wagged her tail gratefully and licked her Father a few times before darting down the road after the boys.

Such a good dog. Thought Quent. He reached for his flask, but he didn't have it. With a light swearing, he dug around in his pockets until he found a cigar. He lit this, and called himself happy– unaware of what dangers he had sent Blue out to face.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

(Don't worry. The wolves and I have a plan)

-Dustal


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3****______5/15/10**

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

Darcia awoke in Paradise.

His eyes opened slowly, wide and alert, only to sink back into their sockets as the white sun blinded him. _Damn this sunlight! _was his first thought, and he closed his eyes again. But then he realized how rarely the sun did shine.

_Where am I? _He wondered. _This cannot be Paradise... _But when he looked around, the world was the same.

The trees around him were fresh with life, the flowers grew in vivid patches of blues, purples, yellows, and whites; the sun laid it's gentle warm reflection on the earth, and a soft wind blew, stirring a few birds into singing.

When the wind blew, the man discovered he was drenched in water, and that his feet were half-way in a large, clear lake.

Darcia sat up now, and gazed around him, pulling his feet out of the water. Taking in all he could – all the beauty he had worked so hard to find– Darcia's passion for Paradise boiled inside him.

Something bit his left eye– or so it felt. He cried out sharply and grabbed the patch, throwing it across the ground. He noticed there was blood on his fingertips, and he reached up to touch his eye, when he caught his reflection in the water.

At first, his mind automatically rejected impossibilities, but when he bent over the lake, and the longer he stared at it, the more real he realized it was. Tapping a gloved finger in the water, the image did not change.

Darcia screamed in terror– in horror that his curse was true.

The black wolf in the water howled back.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

When Cher woke up, she saw an old man with a gray, balding head, slumped over himself with a cigar burning in his hand. He wore a thick jacket, and– just barely sticking out– his shotgun showed from under it.

The first thought was that he was a rapist, or a drunk kidnapper,

The next thought- a murderer.

The third thought– whatever he was, get the hell away.

But as she slowly stood up, the man opened his eyes, frowning up at her. Cher froze, showing a look of complete terror.

"Hey, where ya' goin'?" he asked in a rough tone, smiling. He coughed, then patted the sidewalk next to him. "Have a seat, bitch."

_Bitch? _Cher's eye twitched, and she found a little spurt of bravery. Cher stood up all the way, her mouth pressing in a hard line. "Look here, you drunk!"

Quent's amused expression slumped into a hating frown.

"I am the Head of the Department of Research," Cher said, eyes blazing, "and I do not appreciate your coarseness! Now, tell me why the hell you were sitting so close to me!"

"Huh!" Quent snorted, looking away. "What a bitch..." he brought his cigar to his mouth and sucked on it.

"_Excuse_ me?" demanded Cher.

"Ya' heard me..." he muttered, rubbing his hands together, trying to warm them as a sudden cold-front swept across the streets. Cher looked in the direction the wind blew from, and remembered the strange wolf.

"You're as annoying as that Nancy-cop..." Quent added, irritated that he remembered such a unimportant man.

_Nancy cop...? Ah...Hubb..._Cher sighed, wondering if she really should be wasting her time with the weird, old man. "Did this cop, by any chance, give you his name?"

"Ya...Hubb Limbo, or somethin'." answered the old man, who then gave her an accusing glare. "Why? Are you with the police, too?"

_I just told you where I work! _Thought Cher. She was not used to idiots, so she tried to speak in terms the dumb man might understand. "When did you see that cop? Was it a few hours ago..? A week ago...?"

"Answer my question first." he snapped. "You have no right gettin' in t' my personal business!"

"No. I don't work with the police." she answered, half-lying. She had, in the past, done a few detective assignments with her ex-husband– before her job became her top priority. She knew more than the average man, but her knowledge could never come close to Hubb's, she believed. "And his name is Leboski, not Limbo."

"Ya, whatever.." Quent waved a hand in the air, and snorted. "...I saw him this afternoon. He said he recognized him. Like hell– I'd never see that pussy in my life..."

"Can I ask your name?"

"Ya just did." retorted Quent. He didn't bother to stand while he introduced himself; "My name's Quent Yaiden. I hunt wolves."

Cher's heart skipped a beat. "H-have you seen any around here?"

"Don't get your ass all tight," grunted Quent. But the look of fear in her eyes made him add, more gently, "No, I ain't see any 'round here."

"I saw one..." whispered Cher.

"Bullshit." was Quent's automatic response. "You probably just saw a puppy."

Thinking that over, Cher figured this old man was probably right; the wolf, after all, did seem like pup-like. Or maybe it was actually that little boy– in costume? There had been a Wolves Fair, so maybe he was wandering around, trying to scare people...? This idea gave Cher comfort, so she changed the subject; "My name is Cher." she said at last. "I am Hubb's ex-wife."

"Urh." Quent grunted.

Cher couldn't help but ask, "What are you _doing _out here?"

"I don't even know." said Quent, and he laughed.

Losing interest with the man, Cher thought of Hubb and checked her phone, noticing she had a voice-mail. Excusing herself, Cher walked away to listen to it.

Quent watched her walk away, and wondered why she suddenly looked familiar.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

When the Flower started to bloom, something happened to the boys, even as they ran.

Kiba, and Hige fell forward on his hands and toes, running like monkeys without even realizing it, their bodies bending to fit their position. Hige happened to glance over at Kiba, and he screamed in fright, falling over sideways as if someone had pushed him.

Kiba stopped, and looked back.

He saw Hige, fur sprouting up in certain places, his face bulging forward to form a large snout, his fanged mouth opened as he complained, "Ooooww...I think I stubbed my toe."

"Hige..." said Kiba quietly, white ears growing straight up on his head.

Even as he watched, Hige's skin began to change into fur, and Kiba– as if waking up to reality– slowly remembered everything about his past as a wolf– the voice that spoke, whispered in his head for so long, sounded one last time inside his head: "Search for Paradise," it told him, then faded and was never heard again– Kiba remembered his alternate life meeting Tsume, and fighting him over pride. He remembered meeting Toboe, Hige, and ...Cheza. He remembered the old man, and the Blue was actually a wolf. He remembered Darcia... falling into despair when Hamona died, turning wolf by a curse in his family, in order to take revenge and go to Paradise by himself, only to die because he was not chosen– having only his wolf-eye remaining. Kiba remembered how painfully Cheza's nails were when they raked into his back as she died; he remembered how closely they held on to each other as they both knew their time was up. Kiba wanted to howl, but he sniffed the air once and recalled what he had been doing; going to save the new flower– the flower who had awakened by another wolf.

Kiba knew that his friends must have had a similar revelation, and he would not let it go to waste. "Hige!" Kiba called to his friend. He then loped down the street, the brownish wolf running at his side.

"Blue?" Hige questioned.

"I think she went back to Quent," answered Kiba.

And he was right.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

Feeling a sudden heartache for her Father, Blue turned and ran back to him at full speed, whimpering all the way_. Father... _she thought, tears in her eyes. _Will you remember me, as I have you? _Blue considered putting up her human illusion, but decided against it in case he would be more afraid when she changed back into a wolf.

_We made a great team, you am I_. She thought, smiling.

Running as a real wolf, Blue took a few shortcuts in order to meet her master as soon as possible.

Without warning, three cloaked men leaped from a building and blocked her path.

Alarmed, Blue almost started to call for Hige, but then she remembered her pride as a wolf. She must stand and fight on her own– not because she feels threatened, but because she has to in order to save her friends.

"Is that the One?" asked one of them.

"No," said another one. "That's just the half-breed."

Insulted, Blue started to growl.

"Shoot it with the high-voltage." the last man said, nodding to the second man.

Blue opened her great, sharp-toothed mouth and snarled, foam gathering on her lips, ducking her body down in attack-position.

But this only made the cloaked men frown and draw out their weapons.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

Before Jaguar's bright, blue eyes, Tsume turned into a savage-looking dark gray wolf, white on his chest and under-belly, a scar making his past mistakes; he stood growling while Toboe fell into sitting position, having changed into a brown, curious-looking dog. But as soon as he was over his awe, he stood and let out a growl so loud and savage, that the cloaked men took a step back.

But Jaguara was smiling.

This is not a good place to fight, Tsume knew. So he decided to lure the cloaked men to follow. Tsume ran, growling viciously, and leaped against the side of the wall, bounding from one side, to the other, until he made it of the roof. Once there, regardless of the other cloaked men running at him on the rooftop, Tsume gave a loud, long howl– the very next second he leaped from the roof to the other, flying over Jaguara's head from yard above her.

_Kiba was right... _thought Toboe, looking from Tsume to Jaguara. _He was right about everything; he said that Paradise was hidden, and the wolves were reset– or lost their memory, I guess– until the next Flower chose a wolf as the Gate opener.. That must have been the wolf we heard earlier! The Flower has Chosen! _Lost in thought_,_ Toboe stared ahead with a soft, placid expression, tail wagging slowly.

Jaguara took this opportunity to draw her sword, and swing it down on the unprepared wolf.

_We made such a great pack... _Toboe thought dreamily.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

Finding himself surrounded, Tsume chose to leap across to the other roof. When he landed he glanced behind him and, as he expected, the four cloaked men followed, crossing the distance easily with their magic.One of them raised their hands, and an odd smoke gathered around him, while the other two drew out cruel-looking weapons.

"Damn it," he swore lightly. _What the hell do those weapons do? _He thought, unnerved since he had no answer. To his surprise, they stopped running. They stopped, and watched Tsume quietly.

"Well, come on!" he shouted, teeth snapping in the air.

And they did.

They came at Tsume in a sudden blur, crashing into the gray wolf, sending his to bounce across the cement roofing, leaving blood smears. Dazed, Tsume tried to stand, even though he was still sliding very fast. But it was too late; he slid off the building and fell off the roof, down into another alley, his eyes wide with horror as he saw he the edge approaching.

When their victim was heard thudding on the ground below, Jaguar's men ran over, practically flying, leaping one-by-one into the darkness to finish off their prey.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

At the last possible second before impact, Toboe saw the sword coming at him, and all he was able to do was tuck his tail, very tightly, between his legs.

Toboe's cry of pain was cut off by more cries, each one more quieter, yet more full of pain, as Jaguara went into a rampage and hacked into Toboe as if she were butchering meat for food; over and over the sword was raised and brought down with full-force. The blood of the wolf was thrown up into the alley, splattering against the walls, pouring out onto the ground.

A foamy redness made it's way up from Toboe's stomach, and he barfed it up weakly, along with a pool of blood. "Wh-why...?" Toboe asked her, raising his head to stare at the cruel woman. "Y-you...can't–" Toboe yelped, his eyes sticking out of his head as Jaguara ruined her nice shoes by digging the heel of it into the wolf's freshly made neck wound. Toboe's body shuttered violently under the pressure, and his eyes rolled in his head. Despite that, he still continued, his voice much weaker; "...ca-can't...op...open...Paradise...without...wolves!"

"Wrong." said Jaguara, leaning forward to smile sweety at the dog. "I only need one wolf; the Chosen One. The rest of can go burn in hell!" She jabbed her sword into Toboe's chest as he tried to stand, and she slung the wolf against the wall with her sword. The brown wolf was too weak to cry, too weak to whimper. He laid still against the wall, bleeding out slowly.

_Tsume.. _Toboe thought weakly, casting his wolf-eyes upwards to the rooftops. _I'm sorry...Kiba, Hige, Blue...._ the brown wolf's head flopped down against the ground, making a sick splot. _I'm sorry that I failed– again... _

Jaguara jerked the sword out quickly, blood flying from the tip of the blade, and she made a move like she was going to attack again.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

Kiba and Hige leaped up into the air, fueled by the moonlight as they fell upon their enemies and slaughtered them. Prancing off of their kills, they orangish/brown wolf and the white wolf ran side-by-side ahead, under the moonlight.

"Hey," called Hige over to the white wolf. "This ain't so bad!"

But Kiba knew that the men they faced were the cowards– probably eager to scout the area for Jaguara. Based on the Nobles' ship he had seen, he knew that it had to be her, and that the flower was in danger. Twice he had heard Toboe's cries– but nothing so much as a howl from Tsume. _We're winning_, was Kiba's first thought. But he was wrong. Testing the air more thoroughly, he scented that his friends were wounded, and that Jaguara was there.

Sniffing the air, Kiba 's eyes widened, and he turned, running down a street, and Hige followed, saying, "Oi, Flower's this way!"

"I know!" he called back. "But there are others on the rooftops– I think they plan to ambush the Tsume and Toboe!"

Nodding, Hige joined Kiba, and they ran, leaping up onto a building, and kept running, darting from one roof to the other.

_Blue... _thought Hige. _I hope you made it back safely._

_We cannot fail this time._ Thought Kiba, giving himself a prep-talk_. We cant! If we do, it's all over! The flower is all that matters, but as long as Toboe and Tsume have Jaguara stalled, and we clear off the roofs, then they should be fine._

Ahead, they spotted a small Noble' ship, and two other men. _Destroying that ship will keep them from calling for backup, _Kiba's eyes narrowed. _We have to deal with them first. _He looked at Hige to tell him the plan, but Hige already understood:

"We have to get rid of that ship, man!" said Hige, shaking his head. "There's no telling how many recruits they'd bring in if they found out their buddies were getting slashed to pieces!"

Kiba nodded. He was glad he didn't have to explain. It was then that he realized how strongly connected they really were; they were one, and understood each other's pain and hardship.

They were wolves in harmony.

Throwing back his head, Hige sounded his warning, and Kiba followed his example. As the two men panicked and ran to their ship, Kiba threw himself across the sky and landed in front of them.

With the men's backs turned, Hige was able to take one of them down, grabbing the man by the head and twisting it hard to the left. The other man backed away from Kiba while Toboe gnawed into the other man's skull.

Kiba followed his every movement, growling fiercely.

Suddenly, the man pulled out a large axe, which glowed strongly with an inner darkness that sparked like lightning. He swung his weapon, and Kiba dodged easily– the weapon struck the ground, and black lightning struck the ground, bouncing up and hitting Kiba in the chest. The impact threw the wolf into the Nobles' ship, and paralyzed him.

_No.._.thought Kiba weakly_. Paradise must not exist. Not for the wolves. It is good versus evil in this world– and whose to say that the wolves were ever the good guys? Maybe finding Paradise would _start _the end of the world, not end it..._Kiba closed his eyes_. I don't want to fight anymore... there is no cause for it...._

Holding his weapon to the sky, the cloaked man faced the next wolf and stepped forward.

But Hige ran around the man, avoiding him completely, and nudged Kiba with his nose. "Kiba?" he said, worriedly.

Kiba refused to open his eyes. "Go away..." he said quietly. "Or kill me quickly..."

"K-Kiba?" barked Hige. "What's wrong with you, man? Get up!"

The man walked over, laughing quietly.

Hige turned, growling. "What did you do to him!" he yelled.

A black spark struck the sky, and Hige understood; it was the weapon. It was the darkness, the depressed, inclosing of it that was consuming Kiba.

Hige was right– for the next moment, he was struck by the weapon, rolling hard against the roof, smacking against the white wolf to lay half way on top of him– unable to move. His head became his worst enemy; Hige closed his eyes and began to whimper softly.

The cloaked man walked towards his ship, stepping over the slowly dying wolves, and closed the door. He tried the radio of the ship to contact the others, but it failed. He would have to get them himself. Clicking buttons and pulling levers, the man tried to get the ship to fly. While leaning over-head to press the 'Go' button, his foot kicked the darkness axe, and the spark struck him in the eyes, blinding him.

A second later, he collapsed in the floor, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

**............................................................................................................................................................**

They had been searching for nearly two hours for their lost Lord Darcia, while back in the sky, Nobles against Nobles still fought in their great, humming ships.

"This way!" called Darcia's secretary, leading the way.

The men followed her silently, all ready used to the idea of the woman being their guide. Who wanted to go first into the unknown jungle anyway? Not me, they all decided in their heads.

So no one complained; they only followed orders.

Brushing her coal-black hair back with her fingers, the woman stopped walking and stood still listening. "I heard something." she said quietly.

The men glanced at each other, having heard nothing but a few flies around their muddied boots, the random snap of a twig, and the sad, slow clapping of the leaves as the wind flew in from the sky, showing off for the audience of nature.

"There." the woman pointed, and walked forward, lifting a long, silver, ray-gun from her hip-belt. She crept slowly, coming towards a lake lit by the moon. She pushed the leaves of tall ground-plants out of the way, and jumped into the clearing, making a wide 360 turn, eyes darting for any signs of life.

Then she saw them: A bright, golden eye and a vivid, pale-blue one, gazing hauntingly from the cover of a bush. She lowered her gun, walking forward slowly. I recognize those eyes... she thought, her heart beating fast.

She stood in front of the bush, and bent over slightly. "Darcia..?"

The black wolf leaped from it's cover, sinking it's canine teeth into the woman's neck, feeling the break of bones and the delicate tear of mussels in his strong jaws. He fell on top of the body when it hit the ground, and raised his dripping mouth in a blood-chilling snarl, which grew louder and louder, never moving it's head, but it's eyes glancing at each of the men in turn.

Unitl– "F-fire at will! Fire at will!"

An electric buzz filled the air as the men switched their ray-guns into power, each one feeling the shame of never turning them on earlier. No one had expected to find anything dangerous– a body, sure, and then everyone could go back to the Nobles' war. Now they would pay the price for their carelessness.

The beams blazed forth in a dozen different lines of vivid red, each one hitting the black wolf, knocking it away from their new, dead leader. When the red haze faded from the air, the wolf was gone.

One man asked in a hushed voice, "Did we incinerate it?

The men looked around, feeling very nervous as they had no answers.

A man cried out– the man who had spoken– and the others turned as the wolf leapt off of him, leaving his prey be-headed.

"Fire, fire, fire!"

But the wolf was too fast, the guns too slow. The wolf was toying with them.

One of the men made a mad-dash back for the ship, and the others followed like sheep.

Darcia ran ahead of them and jumped into view, blocking their path.

One man dropped his gun. When he bent to pick it up, his arm was gone. The man kept his eyes on the ground, his body shaking as he stared at where his arm had once been– now a horrible, gruesome redness replaced it, with the white of splinted bones sticking out. He felt no pain– only a deep, consuming coldness that slowly took over his mind.

He passed out.

The other men had watched the display in utter horror, not doing at thing about it.

Bored with them, Darcia to where his ship was, dropping the bloodied, twitching arm on the side of the path. He sniffed the air to make sure he was going the right way, and he smiled grimly to himself, wondering how terrorized Jaguara would look when she saw him as who he truly was: Wolf.

The ship in view, Darcia threw his bloodied jaws to the moon, and let out the most sorrowful howl a broken wolf could sing.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

"Hold it right there, lady!"

Startled by the immaturity of the new voice, Jaguara obeyed, lowering her sword to look up, out of the alley, to stare at a seemingly young blonde-haired boy. _He looks no older than six, _she thought. _Dumb boy must be lost. _Her lips spread across her face, jerking upwards in a twitching motion. "What are you doing here, child?" she asked the boy.

"I'm here to stop you." answered the boy.

Jaguara found that highly amusing, and laughed, not bothering to stop Toboe as he struggled to stand once more, the moonlight above giving him strength.

"Laugh all you want," the boy said, interrupting the woman's laughter. "But you're laughing at death–– not an on-coming victory."

"You don't say..." Jaguara reached up and removed her mask, letting down her long, flowing golden hair. She flickered her eyes down at the young boy, piercing his soul. "Boy." she said. "You are wrong. The wolves of my past are being eliminated as we speak, my Nobles are having no trouble dispatching the rest of the opposing Nobles, once Hamona is dead, I will be the fairest of them all, and..." She stretched her fingers down towards the blooming flower, saying, "..and the lunar flower is in my gasp." She smiled down at it, as a loving mother would her daughter. "Once the flower is mine, I will pour wolf's blood on it until it screams, and I will enslave and use the wolf who is called to it...then I will find and open Paradise. But I'm sure you have no idea what I am talking about." she said, casting a mocking glare at the boy.

"Actually, I do." the boy met Toboe's eyes, and nodded slightly. In response, the wounded brown wolf half-drug, half-limped out of the alley, not quite sure where he was going.

Jaguara didn't try and stop him. _He will die soon enough, _she thought. "Oh?" purred the woman, amused. "How is that?"

"Because I was Chosen to protect it." replied the boy.

The boy dropped his illusion, and replacing the young boy was a young wolf, it's fur a pale-blonde, it's eyes a pure gold.

Jaguara's smile vanished, and began to twitch in a downwards snarl of pure rage._ He is bluffing. He is nothing but another runt! This will be the last wolf, _she reminded herself. _All the rest are being taken care of. Once this one is dead, nothing will stand in my way_! The woman gave a short laugh, and placed back on her mask, moving her sword out at one side for an easy attack. "Very well, wolf. I will play your game... but you will loose."

"No." said the boy. "You will."

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

When Quent mentioned at length that he was traveling with an odd group of boys named Kiba, Tsume, Hige, and Toboe, Cher's memory had flickered to life, and she recalled a white wolf in a cage, and Hige himself lying to Hubb and herself about what he was doing in that specific room. He was a janitor, he had told them. But no. He was a wolf.

Finally convinced that his visions were real, Quent went on a rampage, yelling and swearing to all gods unholy. Somehow, Cher was able to calm him down, only for him to get roused up later on where to go next.

"Well, where did they go?" asked Cher.

"Be fucked if I know!" snapped Quent.

"Well think about it, for Christ's sake!" Cher shot back, Quent's unruly behavior and short temper. rubbing off onto her.

Quent frowned and looked away. "Flowers." he said at last.

"What–"

"They went to look for some damn flower." Quent said, turning to look at her to check her reaction.

"The lunar flower?" asked Cher, breathlessly. Quent frowned at her.

Far off, a wolf howled.

"This way!" cried Cher, running off.

_Damn how can she run is those shoes? _Thought Quent._ Tch! Can't believe I'm following her..._ He sighed, took a breath, and started running.

**............................................................................................................................................................**

Healed slowly by the steady glow of moon light, Kiba was the first to be able to move. With a groan, he looked around him**. **_What happened...to me? _

Against his side laid Hige, eyes closed, whimpering pathetically.

"Hige...?" Kiba said, putting a paw on the other wolf.

"Don't touch me!" cried Hige, closing his eyes tightly.

_The axe.._.Kiba remembered._ It was that Noble_. The white wolf turned and looked at the ship. Since it hadn't taken off, he figured something must have went wrong.And, since no other ship was blazing across the sky, the recruits must not have been informed, either.

_Hige.._. Kiba looked back over to him. The orangish/brown wolf laid, lost in his own self-criticism, unable to escape. Kiba laid his head back down, comforting the wolf.

He could not leave without him.

**............................................................................................................................................................**

Blue was the first to attack. Opening her great fangs, the wolf-dog threw herself into the more talkative of the men, sinking her teeth into his neck, breaking the bone that connected to his skull. Blue darted off of her kill just as the other two men advanced; one with a long, curved sword, the other with a ray-gun.

The beam shot out, piercing Blue in the shoulder. She yelped and leaped back eve farther, mouth open in rage. _You are wolf_. She reminded herself firmly.

Running quickly, the man with the sword swung his weapon into the air, and when Blue made a move to dodge it, he quickly brought the sword around, slicing into her under-belly Landing, the half-wolf stumbled, then planted her paws into the ground. Without another pause, she launched herself at man with the ray gun as it started to charge, crossing the distance between them with ease. But before she could even touch the man with the gun, his partner was behind Blue, and raking his sword across her neck, giving her a grievous, fatal wound.

Blue gave a long howl of pain, just as the man with the gun aimed for her head, and pulled the trigger.

The dark-colored wolf gave a soft exhale of pain before she hit ground._Hige... _she thought, the light fading from her eyes. _I'm sorry– I really wanted to go with you...to...Paradise..._

The moon above stared down at her in all of it's coldness, not able to heal the wound so badly inflicted into her brain. Blue gave her last breath– a soft whine of fear as she began to see only darkness.

She would howl no more.

**..........................................................................................................................................................** Tsume stood up slowly, his limbs shaking. _Get up, damn it! _He told himself fiercely. In that moment, the three cloaked people landed on all sides of him, laughing quietly.

_Toboe.._. the gray wolf thought. _I heard you cry. You are in pain now, aren't you? I'm sorry I wasn't there to stop them...just promise me...that you wont die._

The cloaked man with gray smoke around him stepped forward, waving his hands around, uttering spell under his breath.

"No God-damn way!" roared Tsume, thrusting himself into the air to land on top of the person. His jaws met neck-flesh, and he tore a hole into it, jerking his head back and forth with all violence he could muster.

In reward, Tsume felt a sword pierce into his back and hit the ground with a hard _tang!_ Tsume gasped, only to start choking and vomit up blood. His body constricted as the sword was pulled sideways out of his body, and one of his legs gave out. The gray wolf turned and sank his jaws into his attacker's arm, and his teeth hit solid metal and scrapped across it like steel-on-steel, making a harsh chime. Tsume let go, swiftly getting up on his hind legs and mauling his attacker in the neck.

A sword was swung dangerously close to his head– Tsume dodged and broke away, leaving the alley at a run. He glanced behind him, and watched as his attacker blurred into motion, appearing running at his side in an instant.

Tsume's eyes stared at the cloaked man, who's weapon he held with a curling smile that seemed to say, "These wolves aren't so hard to kill!"

_Shit..!_ Tsume leaped backwards into the air, landing twenty feet behind the man. He ducked his head, and waited, snarling, baring his teeth and his pride. _I haven't much time! _The wolf thought impatiently. _The flower– Jagura– Toboe... _His eyes narrowed in hatred as the cloaked man took his time in walking over with his sword, laughing quietly. _Come at me, damn you! _

But he didn't.

So the gray wolf came to him. With a sudden burst of speed, Tsume sprinted to his attacker. The man swung his sword down, but Tsume dodged and man a bite for his legs. The man blocked his teeth with his sword, then brought the sword upwards– but Tsume jumped back, only getting his lip split open._ Damn you... _

They had gained distance from each other. Only the moon light stood between them.

Then– the man ran at the wolf– the wolf at the man: both of them screaming.

**...........................................................................................................................................................**

Toboe, hearing the screams and cries of his friends, had ran off and hid behind a garbage bin, laying down beside it's wretched smells. He kept hearing pained cries, and ducked his head in horror, whimpering some more, and began nursing his fatal wounds. He remembered his encounter with the walrus, and felt a sick feeling of guilt eat into his heart, he stood up and kept walking, further and further from battle._ Why can't I be brave today like I was back there? _He asked himself._ Why did I run? _Perking his ears up, the brown wolf looked back behind him, towards the alley.

_I ran, _he reasoned with himself, _because I didn't want to die... I ran because I...was afraid of dying again...but..._ the wolf hung it's head, whining softly. _But if that's what it takes to save my friends, I should do it._ The wolf turned, facing his destiny.

He hesitated, then a thought came into his head and he bolted back towards the alley.

He was thinking of Paradise.**............................................................................................................................................................**

The pale-yellow wolf had made no promises. He only did what he felt strongest about: He dodged Jaguara's sword as she made the first move, and threw himself over the flower to protect it. Once his paws touched the black soil around the flower, he began digging it up.

Jaguara turned, and said quietly, "If you do that, you will kill it." She took out a glass vile full of a greenish liquid, with a flat, un-screwable top on it. "This liquid is what kept the Flower Maiden alive– you will need this...but you cannot have it–"

The wolf turned up his head and jumped, snatching the jar carefully between his teeth– "Thanks!" he barked between his teeth– and ran off with it, the lunar flower under his tongue in a clump of dirt.

Screaming, Jaguara ran after the pale-yellow animal, saying "Give that back, you damn wolf!"

Just then, Toboe ran over and blocked her, biting viciously at her legs. His teeth struck bone, and he crushed it between his powerful jaws. Jaguara screamed in pain, falling back on to her butt, sword flailing out in front of her.

The edge of the sword caught Toboe by the paw, cutting it clean off– the bracelet slipped off the foot-less leg, and clattered to the ground, splashing up blood to land next to the severed paw. Toboe, yelping, jumped back, and felt a horrible ache of loss for his bracelet. _Granny_... he thought miserably. Jaguara stood up, a smirk on her face when the wolf skipped out on the chance of finishing her off.

"Look at me, wolf!" commanded Jaguara.

Startled, Toboe obeyed.

"Tell me...does Paradise exist?"

Toboe's blood fell quickly from his wounds, making blood that was already there, soften and make sticky puddles on the ground."I- I don't know..." whispered Toboe, shaking. "I don't know anymore, I..."

"Shh..."

Jaguara's gentle voice lured him to a daze, and he sat down awkwardly, leaning against the wall, his stub-foot twitching. "I'm sorry...everyone body..." Toboe said quietly, whimpering.

The woman, sneering, raised her sword and brought it over the wolf's head.

Toboe's head hit the ground, rolling once, twice, until Jaguara stopped it by busting it open with her booted-foot.

Turning back to where the lunar flower once grew, reminded the woman of the yellow wolf. "Now the_ real_ hunt begins." she said to herself. "The Chosen and the Maiden, conveniently together. And I know exactly where they are going."

Gathering her blood-stained cloak closer, the woman used magic to float half an inch above the street, and she made her way back to her ship, dismissing her cloaked followers. She knew that they could kill the wolves easily– if they didn't, it made of difference.

Only the Flower Maiden and her Chosen wolf did.

She walked in the air, down the streets, laughing all the way.

**............................................................................................................................................................**

Back in his ship, Darcia put up his illusion as human, and carefully pressed in the buttons and turned various switches to start the Noble airship.

_Jaguara._.. He thought, glaring over a radar screen. He glanced up through the wide windows as the ship started it's assent. _I will meet you at Freeze City. This radar proves the Flower's exact location, and it is in your possession– that I have no doubt of. _Darcia's eyes narrowed. _You will pay for your crimes against Paradise– and the wolves._

Humming loudly, the ship sped through the air, it's lights dancing across the cloudy sky.

**............................................................................................................................................................**

Wherever they were supposed to go, no longer matter. Cher and Quent were soon found and surrounded by two cloaked men. As they drew out their weapons, Quent drew his.

The old man brought the gun up on his shoulder, and aimed. Two-busts shot out at once.

One man fell, his face no longer a face, but something that could only be compared to as spaghetti, or even lasagna.

Cher screamed, hiding her face in Quent's arm.

Quent glanced at her with his eyes, a smile jerking on his lips. He took aim for the next man, and fired.

But this man was prepared. He–

Quwnt fired again, and the man fell, missing half of his face; his brains oozed out slowly, dripping, gushing their red contents. Behind where the men laid, were trails and splatters of their internal function. Glancing at them, Cher swore she saw one of the pieces move.

"Well, that takes care of them." laughed Quent, shouldering his shotgun like an army man.

Cher grabbed Quent's hand and ran, saying angrily, "It's not over yet, dumb-ass! We have to go help the wolves!"

Quent followed in a grudging manner, wishing the woman wasn't so aimed at being first.

His eyes to the ground, he watched in amusement as Cher's dainty little feet hopped and skipped around the gore of humanity, as easily as one would avoid a rain puddle, or a bug.

"Blue!" Cher suddenly cried out.

Quent's head jerked up, and saw his beloved dog, laying still, in her own blood. He felt Cher's hand tighten, giving hima comforting squeeze.

Her jerked his hand away. "Let go of me, woman!" he snapped. Running over to Blue, the man felt tears burning in his eyes. He fell to his knees beside the dog, and pulled her ruined body into his lap, crying. "Blue..! _Blue._..no...Blue_...Why_! _Why!_?" he began holding the dead animal closer to him, letting Blue's limp neck fall against his face, her eyes gazing half-open into the nothingness that had consumed her.

Cher walked over slowly, her heart in her throat.

"Quent..." she said quietly. Quent wasn't listening. "We have to keep mov–" Cher was interrupted by what she saw.

A pale-yellow wolf darted over, holding a glass jar in it's mouth, it's eyes were bright gold, body clear of any scratches or wounds. As the wolf ran past her, she also noticed something else; a white flower had been sticking out from under it's tongue.

"No..." she whispered. Cher turned and watched the wolf vanish into the distance. "They failed..." she said quietly. "We're doomed."

**............................................................................................................................................................**

Tsume was the first to meet his mark. He bite down into the man's shoulder, and tore at it, exposing mussel and bone, chomping away as the blood began to spew.

Without even so much as a flinch, his attacker brought down his sword, and Tsume tried to dodge, but he wasn't quick enough. He lost more than half of his right ear.

Tsume jumped away, panting hard as his wounds re-opened and began to bleed.

_My ear!_Tsume thought wildly._ How can he not feel a thing? _His eyes narrowed and he lowered his stance and prepared to dodge the next move. _Get ready_...he warned himself.

The man ran at Tsume, swinging his sword surprisingly fast. The wolf growled and side-stepped the swinging blade of death, waiting for an opening. He saw one.

Tsume thrust himself forward, grabbing onto the man's leg in his jaws, and he pulled sharply.

The man fell, dropping his weapon.

Tsume climbed up onto the stunned man's chest, snarling wickedly as he looked for the man's neck. But the man was already dead; his weapon had fallen against him, stabbing deeply into his chest.

Gurgling blood, the dying man acted blind; his fingers twitched for his weapon, but he could not remember how to move.

Tsume recalled how gently Hige had begged for death when he knew his time was up. He knew how it hurt to suffer alone. Showing a loveless mercy, the gray wolf bent down and swiftly broke the man's neck between his jaws.

Stepping off onto the street, Tsume sniffed the air a few times, tasting the heavy scent of blood. He thought of Jaguara, the flower, and Toboe. His lips curled up in rage, and he ran to the nearest building and flung himself into the sky, hitting the roof running. He bounded from roof to roof, under the setting moon.

Dawn was at last approaching.

**............................................................................................................................................................**


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**...... 5/16/10

**...............................................................................................................................................................................**

The pale-yellow wolf ran right out of Freeze City, stopping behind an old car to remove the flower and place it into the container full of a strange, green liquid.

"Don't worry, Maiden. I wont let you die." the wolf screwed the top back on and tilted his head at the flower, wondering where he should take it. "What now, flower?" he asked.

_This one must be taken to the frozen oceans..._came the flower's quiet, gentle response inside the wolf's head. _this one must take root in the cavern above the water._

"But it would be easily if you were human, right?" asked the wolf, remembering about the past legends, where a Maiden named Cheza had be re-created part-human.

_It is not necessary for this one to be human._ Said the Flower. _This one has Chosen you, Shita, because this one knew you are wise at heart. This one will open Paradise any form._

The pale-yellow wolf, Shita, nodded, and said, "Then I want you to be like a human." The flower said nothing, and so he took the container in his jaws once more, and ran towards Jaguara's castles– hundreds of miles away.

**.............................................................................................................................................................................**

Groaning, Hige sat up.

"Are you all right?" was Kiba's instant question as he picked his head up from the other wolf's back.

Blinking slowly, Hife nodded. He sat down and looked around himself. "I smell blood, death, and Nobles...the flower scent is there as well, but it's very faint. I think someone has taken it."

Kiba stood and walked over to the edge of the roof. "We have to find them."

"Yeah, I know.." Hige walked and stood beside the white wolf.

They jumped off the roof and started running.

Only a minute into their run, they sw Jaguara, floating over.

The wolves ran all the faster, baring their teeth, snarling suddenly.

Jaguara stopped walking and drew her sword.

As the two wolves jumped at the woman, she brought her sword up under their chests, ripping them deeply, the blood raining down onto her from above.

When they landed, the wolves jumped to opposite sides and ran in a wide circle, slowly getting closer to the woman, blood dripping from their jaws.

Jaguara smiled behind her mask._ I can kill them...my armor is protecting me, but nothing protects them from my blade but their fur._ She took a step forward, and limped slightly on her wounded leg. She put more weight on the good leg before taking her sword stance, sword out in front of her.

Hige was the first to attack. He leaped, claws slicing the air, thick breath gushing out hotly.

Jaguara threw up her right arm, hitting the wolf with the sword, reaching up with her left to grab and hold Hige by his neck. She acted as if she was going to plunge her captured prey with her sword, right through the neck, but– the wolf was heavier than she expected, and she dropped him, swinging her sword immediately down to break his back.

**..............................................................................................................................................................................**

When Tsume reached the alley where the flower had been, he could not smell it's scent. He could only taste the blood in the air, and the overwhelming sense of death.Throwing himself off of the roof, Tsume landed as his human illusion**,** and he saw Toboe, headless, and defeated**. **"T-Toboe... " gasped Tsume. He walked over and bent down. His illusion faded as he began to lick the headless wolf's wounds, whining as he did so. _Toboe..._he thought sadly_. I failed after all..._

The gray wolf turned, and began to run back to the others, knowing there was nothing he could do to bring Toboe back.

**................................................................................................................................................................................**

The Nobles surrounding the two castles began blowing eachother up until no one was left. Just as the last Noble hit took down the other, he was struck by a heat missel that had been fired a moment before it exploded.

Everyone was dead; falling in great flames to the ground, the ships spun and burst, throwing out bodies and large sheets of metal.

All around the land was bloodied snow and black oil, and as the ships began to cool off, the only sound that was heard was the soft laughter of fire as it smoldered the corpeses. The war was over.

It was a tie.

**............................................................................................................................................................................**

Kiba got in the way, blocking the attack as he, wincing, took on a grievous wound on his shoulder. Hige ran out of the way, then circled back and threw himself on Jaguara's back. She threw him off easily, the armor shooting pains in the wolf's teeth. Kiba jumped back, and the wolves stood side by side again, both panting hard.

Hige looked at Kiba gratefully.

Kiba only stared at his opponent, his lips curled upwards.

Jaguara waited, sneering at her attackers.

Kiba noticed the woman's leg wound and ran at it, Hige following his lead. Biting for her leg, Kiba bounced from side to side, making Jaguara suspenseful. He didn't find an opening to striek, so he ran between her legs, nearly getting his tail chopped off as Jaguara swung her sword.

Hige found his chance, and he threw himself against her leg, sinking his teeth into the wound, thrashing his head violently, spurting up blood.

Screaming, Jaguara stumbled back, then swung her sword down to behead the brown wolf.

"Hige!" cried Kiba.

A gunshot broke out, followed by another.

Hige, tail tucked, snuck away from Jaguara as she stood stunned by the impact of a bullet.

_No...way.._.she thought. _This cant be...how it ends...I cant lose like this!_

Kiba and Hige looked and watched as Quent and Cher came over– Cher carrying Blue.

"Blue..!" whined Hige.

"Hige, focus!" snapped Kiba, glaring at Jaguara.

"Go, wolves!" shouted Quent. "All of you– get that flower and save the world!"

Hige looked at Quent, tilting his head. _Does that mean he's remembered? _He wondered.

Jaguara turned in place, thinking wildly. _Damn it... I must get ...back...I cant allow this man to kill me...!_ But fear held her back. She remembered dying last time, and she did not want to die again.

Kiba looked at Quent, eyes blazing and nodded.

"Hige, let's go!" he said, running.

"Wait! What about Toboe, Tsume..?"

"We don't have time t–" Kiba broke off, hearing a low howl. He looked and saw Tsume, running towards them.

"Tsume!" shouted Kiba and Hige.

"Get up to that ship, damn it!" yelled Quent, stalking Jaguara as she started running away. "But, Quent–" started Cher.

"GO!" he shouted, and ran down a street corner.

They knew it would be the last time they saw him.

They obeyed, leaping up onto the roof while Cher had to go inside and find the stairs.

"Where's Toboe?" asked Hige.

Tsume looked away. "He didn't make it."

They said no more. The wolves waited for Cher to arrive, and when she did, she hastily laid Blue down and ran to the ship, pressing buttons on the door.

Hige sniffed Blue, whining. "That's twice I've had to lose you.." he said quietly, hanging his head.

Tsume stood, unstable; his feet were shaking.

Kiba looked at the gray wolf, stepping forward. He asked gently, "Tsume..what happened back there?"

Tsume snapped the air between them, his teeth clamping hard like metal, warning Kiba to stay away.

Kiba growled low, but then looked away.

Cher got the door opened, and started to up Blue.

Hige stepped forward, saying, "no..just leave her here. It's okay."

Cher blinked, then nodded, laying the wolf back down. Turning, Cher ran inside the ship. She screamed.

The wolves ran inside after her.

"Cher, what's wrong?" cried Hige.

They saw a man laying on the ground, not moving aside from crying.

Cher pointed at him, confused.

"Don't worry. He can't move." said Kiba. "He was struck by a specialized sword of darkness."

"Does any of you know how to work this damn thing?" snapped Tsume, clicking random buttons, his human illusion up.

"Let's use him." said Hige, nodding to the crying man in the floor."He was one of the men who attacked Kiba and I. If we get him to snap out of it, we can make him fly the ship."

Kiba nodded. He bent down, lowering his head, sniffing the man, searching for a way to ease his paralyzation.

But Cher had other plans. She walked over and kicked the man in the mouth. "For fuck's sake, get up and do your job!"

The man yelped, and scooted against a wall, looking up at Cher with huge, miserable eyes. "P-please...please kill me!" he begged.

"We will when we're through with ya." promised Hige, smiling evilly.

"Wh-what do I h-have to do?" he stammered, eagerly.

Cher looked at Kiba. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"The pale-yellow wolf has the flower," said Kiba. "He will probably take her to Jaguara's castle and turn her into a Maiden."

Cher blinked. _Don't these wolves realize how long that takes? _She wondered. Regardless, she turned to the man. Cher pointed to the sky. "Bring us to Jaguara's Castle!"

The man stood up hastily began clicking the correct buttons and pulling switches, checking dials and pushing in a few screws. After about four minutes, the ship was in the air, blazing forth over Freeze City, leaving the dead behind.

**..............................................................................................................................................................................**

The sun rose swiftly into the sky, glowing in shades of red, orange, then purple, mixing with yellows as it slowly made up it's mind to pain the sky blue.

The Noble ship glided across this sky, the lights dimmed by the rising sun.

The time was 7am

.**..............................................................................................................................................................................**

Quent was tired of chasing the woman. He was tired of running around the City like a maze rat. He wanted to sit down at a nice bar, talk about the good days when there wasn't a thing called wolves in the world. He wanted to forget the bad and remember the good. He wanted to see Blue again, and maybe play fetch a few times before the afternoon sun got too hot.

Tears filled the old man's eyes, and he wiped them away roughly, his dirty fingernails cutting his skin.

"Come out, you bitch!" shouted Quent, looking around him as he saw blood drops leading one way, and then another.

Then she came out of hiding, screaming as she swung her sword around.

Quent fired his gun– it hit the blade and ricocheted back at him, striking him in the chest. At that moment, the woman swung again, slicing Quent's arm upwards, sliding across his bone from the elbow up to his shoulder. A large, meaty piece of his arm fell off, already crimson, his wound pouring all over himself, clotting in his system.

Quent, mind hazed from losing so much blood so quickly, stared up mutely at his assassin, and took aim one last time, his face grave.

The trigger was pulled just as Jaguara plunged her sword into the old man's neck. Jaguara's body fell sideways onto the ground, a hole blown through her face, while Quent fell backwards, the sword clattering on the ground through his neck.

Somewhere in the sky, a crow began to caw, signaling his friends that it was time to eat.

**..............................................................................................................................................................................**

As Cher made sure their captured man was working the ship properly, the wolves sat in a small circle, talking quietly underneath a window.

"It's strange.." said Hige slowly as he stared up at the sky. "Just yesterday morning, we didn't know who each other was...and...It's as if...our minds had been reset. And we were...I don't know...reincarnated or something."

The ship hummed loudly, bringing the wolves closer together so they could hear.

"Reborn." said Kiba. "We were reset, and reborn...the Flower awakened our spirit of the wolf."

No one questioned the white wolf; the explanation seemed believable enough.

Hige smiled, and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes thoughtfully.

"Did you guys ever notice," began Tsume. "That in our alternate lives, everything was in disorder– practically the end of the world?"

"It was the end of the world." replied Kiba.

"So what changed it?" asked Hige.

"The wolves...we were not there to send the world into a panic." Kiba explained slowly. "It was just a story, not a legend in history...with us in the picture, the humans became violent against each other, eventually killing off the world because they couldn't figure out whose religion was right, and whose would send them to hell...when we were missing, no one had any reason to disagree; it was as if the wolves had never walked the earth..."

"_What_?" demanded Hige.

"Ever since I was struck by that sword, I have been...putting pieces together in my head." he turned to the others. "I believe I have it figured out."

"So we're the bad guys, huh?" said Tsume.

Kiba nodded.

"That's not true!" cried Hige. "We're good! We're saving the world!"

"No.." said Kiba. "We were destroying it, all along."

Tsume looked down, leaning against the wall with a sigh.

Cher glanced over at the wolves, but said nothing.

**..............................................................................................................................................................................**

Nearing Freeze City, Darcia noticed a speck of yellow on the ground below, and he slowed his ship to stare.

It was a wolf. And it looked up now, seeming frightened.

Frowning, Darcia checked his radar. The flower was right below him.

_That wolf! _He thought_. Is he the Chosen One?_ Darica ran to the window and stared down at the wolf began to run for his life, though Darcia had not started to chase him yet. _How did he get past Jaguara...?_ he wondered. He closed his eyes briefly, and decided to capture the wolf. He may be the very key to Paradise...he thought. His lips pulled into a relaxed smile. If that wolf really did kill Jaguara, then I have nothing in my way now...

He lowered the ship dangerously low to the ground, and sent it flying across the terrian after the pale-yellow wolf.

Shita groaned, darting back and forth like a rabbit. _Oh crap! _He thought. _What if he catches me?_ _What if–_ "Ahhhite!" the wolf yelped, rolling around in the snow, a red net enclosing him from above.

Darcia approached the struggling wolf as it gnawed at the ropes, it's golden eyes blazing.

"You are not any wolf I have seen," said Darcia slowly. "And you are very young– and weak. How strange that the Flower chose you..."

"Let me go, and I will share Paradise with you!" said Shita, almost angrily.

Darcia stared at the wolf with a blank expression, before reaching down and pulling the glass container from the net. The wolf growled and snapped, trying to break free.

"Give that back!" he shouted.

Darcia walked back into his ship, and closed the door.

A moment later, the net rose into the sky, tightening around the wolf, and carrying him over the world. Terrified, the young wolf passed out.

Inside his ship, Darcia placed the container on a shelf, and gazed at it. "You are in my possession now, Flower." he told it gently. "I promise you, no harm will come to you."

"_Shita...Shita..._" cried the Flower quietly.

"Shita cannot save you now." said Darcia, placing a hand on the glass, as if trying to comfort the flower. "I will take you to my castle, and make you a proper lady....you will bloom. And I will open the true Paradise, and save my beloved Hamona."

The flower said nothing, so Darcia turned and programmed the system to head for his castle.

Behind him, the flower began to cry.

**..............................................................................................................................................................................**

It wasn't long before Cher spotted the other Noble ship.

She pointed, stating, "There's another ship of the Nobles. What do we do?" she asked, looking at Kiba who came to stand beside her in his human illusion.

Kiba stared out for a moment, before answering, "I think we should try and go around it." As he spoke, Tsume and Hige came and looked out as well. Kiba continued, "There's no telling who is aboard there, or whose side they're on."

"What's that hanging from the bottom?" Hige asked, pointing.

Leaning close to the window, the noticed the red net underneath.

"Is something it there...?" asked Hige.

"It's a wolf." said Tsume.

"...The Chosen wolf." added Kiba.

"Are you sure?" asked Tsume.

Kiba nodded. "Hige, can you smell the flower?"

Hige sniffed the air. "Yeah. I can smell it. That's differently them."

Tsume sighed. "So what now? Cant just blow them up, or we'd kill the Flower."

Cher looked around, digging through shelves, digging through drawers, finally deciding to ask their captured man instead. "What kind of weapon do you have that can stop that ship?"

"W-we...don't have anything like that." said the man. "P-pplease...c-can you please kill me now?"

Cher looked at the wolves.

Hige shrugged.

Tsume nodded.

Kiba shook his head.

Cher hit the man up-side the head, and he collapsed. "He's useless..." she spat.

"Cher..." Kiba said quietly. "What ever happened to Hubb?"

"Hubb...?" Cher's eyes widened, and a look of horror washed over her pretty face. "I... I tried to call him..I...don't know where he is, or what he's doing...I–"

"It's fine." said Kiba quickly. "I'm sure he's safe."

Cher looked back out the window, nervously. _How could I have ever forgotten you, Hubb?_ She thought sadly. _I shouldn't have ever left work and gone to my appointment... I should have gone straight to you....I should have–_

Look out!" shouted Hige.

Tsume ran over and grabbed the main steering control and jerked the ship to the left, but it was too late. A missel shot out from the other Noble ship, hitting their ship hard on the right end. The ship was violently jerked, nearly flipped upside-down. The wolves skidded along the floor, digging their nails into it's glossy surface.

The passed out man, during the explosion, had been swung around, and hit his neck brutally against a desk. He was killed instantly. Glancing down at him, they all silently agreed he was dead by his limp demeanor.

"What do we do!" Shouted Hige.

"We return fire!" yelled Cher over the sounding alarms. She ran over and grabbed a lever, thumping open the cap to reveal the button.

"Cher, wait!" cried Kiba.

But she had already made up her mind to press it.

Tsume threw himself on top of her, pinning her to the ground. "Will you just calm down!" the gray wolf barked in her face, his ears flat against his head, lips quivering.

Cher's face paled, and she began to shake.

"Tch.!" Tsume hopped off and stood beside Kiba, both appearing human now. "What do we do?" asked Tsume, repeating Hige's question.

Hige stood up, groaning as blood began to leak out of his lips. "We..should race them to Jaguara's...then fight Darcia when he lands."

Kiba gave the wolf a faint smile. "That's a good idea, Hige." he said.

"I like the sound of that." agreed Tsume.

Cher stood up slowly, leaning against a wall, grabbing on to a steady pole just in case something were to happen.

Kiba grabbed the lever and pulled it away from him, making the ship gain speed. Tsume watched, then looked up out the window.

Hige looked over at Cher. "Are you...?" but he didn't finish. She was very pale, and she looked more terrorized than a cornered rabbit. He went over, tail tucked, and stood with the others, illusion up.

The passed the other Noble ship easily, zooming by it at an amazing rate. Hige almost laughed at the simplicity of it all. "By crazy weirdo!" he said, waving through the back window.

Kiba and Tsume glanced over at him.

"Hige, settle down." said Kiba.

Tsume looked ahead to their destination. _Damn this ship moves fast_. He thought. "We're almost there." he told them. "That castle's either Darcia's or Jaguara's...think it's Darcia's."

Kiba walked over and looked. He nodded. "Jaguara's isn't much farther." he said.

"Are you sure he's going to land other there and not here?" asked Hige, turning from the window.

Kiba turned and looked at the other wolf. But at seeing what was coming, he couldn't speak.

**..............................................................................................................................................................................**

Darcia watched as the twin-missals were fired ahead of him, spinning through the air like fairies. "...and then there was none." Darcia said quietly.

The missals struck the ship on both sides, and it blew up from the inside out, bellowing up in a great rolling wave of orange flames. Black smoke began to climb into the clouds while the ship began to fall, twisting, out of the sky and to the ground below.

In the net, Shita awoke from the smell of machinery smoke, and began to howl in fear. "Flower, Flower!" he cried. "Are you still there?"

"_Shita..." _the flower said in his mind. "_This one is afraid...this one does not think we will live..."_

Deciding to land, Darcia lowered his ship to the ground, and stepped out of his ship. Gazing around his dark, depressing castle, Darcia's heart beated rapidly when he thought of the great Paradise that awaited him. He left the wolf in the net, unattended, and walked calmly inside, closing the doors behind him in a lordly manner.

Shita growled, and chewed the ropes, the remaining of his puppy-teeth sharp enough to cut metal. But these ropes were laced with dark magic that prevented the wolf from breaking the bond. "Damn it!" he swore, his teeth beginning to bleed. He looked over at the ship beside him. "Flower, what do we do?"

"_Be quiet, wolf...this one will sing to you and put your heart at ease...it is a song only this one and the others like this one know..."_

Whining, the wolf laid down, and listened, perking his ears up.

The Flower began to sing:

"_Shailoh Shailoh, yatreet ka.....Shailoh shna.. otvit ka......._

_Hahla Hahla.. ahlah hah........Shailoh washnee, fortee ney....._

_Shailoh Shailoh, yatreet ka.......Omen nio hah...."  
_ She repeated her song at least three times in a soft, melodious voice, by the time Darcia had returned. He opened the doors with his foot, and stepped out.

Shita woke up abruptly when the flower stopped singing, and he looked over at the castle.

Walking down towards his ship, Darcia carried Hamona in his arms, with a blanket over one shoulder. He went into his ship, ignoring the pale-yellow wolf as he started to bark and snarl. Laying his love in the bed he had prepared, he folded the blanket neatly into a pillow, and rested her head on it. She did not smile, nor did she acknowledge his presence. With a quiet frown, Darcia gazed at her a moment longer before turning back to the ship door and closing it.

A moment later, Shita was lifted up into the air, and the ship started off towards the frozen oceans.

**..............................................................................................................................................................................**

"_D...damn..it._.." groaned Kiba, crawling along the snow, dragging his two broken legs behind him, trailing blood. His mouth quivered angrily, pained and desperate. He looked back behind him at the ruined ship, at the smoldering fires. He followed the smoke up into the sky, tilting his head back. He started choking, and looked away.

"Hige!"

Kiba blinked, opening his eyes. He didn't remember closing them. Sliding his head on the snow, he faced back to the ship and watched as a bloodied gray wolf hopped around on three legs, the back left leg twisted up against his chest.

"T...su...me..?" whispered Kiba.

"Hige!" shouted Tsume, clawing at a pile of rubble. Blinking back clots of ash from his eyes, Tsume stared down and tried to focus n the piece of shrapnel he was trying to move. His paws raked across a small gap, and he tried to pull it open over and over, crying out his friend's name that he smelled. Right between the gap, Hige's nose was just barely shown, lightened only by the sunlight above. Tsume growled. One of his nails were torn off in his struggle, immediately beginning to bleed. Snarling, the wolf kept clawing, scraping, beating the tiny gap with his feet. He lost another nail, it tearing off crookedly to expose the hot, pink flesh underneath. Howling out in anger, Tsume leaped over to the other piece that was in the way, and tried moving it.

"Tsume..." repeated Kiba, trembling. He could not feel his legs.

The other piece of metal slid and snapped shut, Tsume falling, rolling off onto the ground as a long, agonized howl broke from underneath the metal.

"Hige!" cried Tsume.

Kiba blinked at the gray wolf, not knowing what to do. He felt sick, but at the same time, happy. If wolves were the evil ones, then it was good that they were dying...wasn't it?

Tsume finally noticed the white wolf. Both of his back legs were completely flat, only blood and fur remained. There was no sign of Cher– not even her scent. And now –Tsume glanced back at the gap that he had shut– it was possible he had just crushed the remaining life out of Hige.

"Tsume.." whispered Kiba weakly.

He looked, his face broken.

"It's...okay. We're...going...to Paradise." Kiba tried to smile, but failed.

Tsume sat down, and said nothing, looking back at the place where blood began to spill out into the snow.

Kiba rolled over onto his side, pressing the left side of his face into the snow. He opened his mouth and let out a low, strained howl.

Tsume took up the call.

The two wolves called back and forth, until one of them died. The one left alone turned from the wreckage, and followed the fading scent of the flower, walking slowly, pained, with only sorrow in his heart.

**..............................................................................................................................................................................**

The sun blazed down on Shita as he dozed in and out of sleep, rocked gently by the net. He looked down and noticed that they were at the frozen ocean; the place the flower told him the gate would be to Paradise.

Darcia landed the ship a few yards away from the Gate, where a tiny clear pool of water stretched out as the only thing not frozen. He glanced over at Hamona, asleep in her bed. "We are here, my love." he told her quietly. "You wont have to wait much longer." The man turned and took the flower off the shelf, holding the container close to his face. "I'm sorry I could not change you into something more..durable. You will just have to open the Gateway as you are."

The flower said nothing.

**..............................................................................................................................................................................**

Shita watched as the man exit the ship, walking over to him. The pale-yellow wolf pretended to be dead, thinking maybe the man might toss him out. But he didn't. Once the net was off, Darcia grabbed the wolf by the back of his neck and drug him across the snow, walking towards the small pool.

"There!" Darcia hatefully said, throwing the wolf ahead of him, Shita's nose just touching the water's surface. Whimpering, the wolf backed away. Darcia opened the container, placing the flower on the ground in a small crack. He watered it with the green liquid, then stepped back.

Blinking, Shita felt like he was supposed to do something, so he went over to the flower and nudged it.

"Don't touch it!" snapped Darcia, drawing out his sword.

Shita backed away. _Damn it, what do I do? _He thought. _Flower? Flower?_ _What do I do?_

The flower began to grow. It grew upwards and out, it's white petals spreading into a dozen full, arm-like wings. The center of the flower changed into a soft pink, with a blood-red dot in the center. The roots of the flower traveled through the crack, then above it, snaking it's way to the water. Darcia watched this display with a face of contentment; he knew everything was working out for the best, and that this Chosen wolf had no idea what he was doing.

Once the root touched the surface, Darcia walked over to the awe-struck Shita and grabbed his by the neck again. He dropped the wolf in front of the water, and the Gate, sensing the Chosen, opened. Seeming to float on the surface of the water, was an opening that lead into a green, flowing, bright world of beauty and freedom. Trees grew with lush, golden fruits, flowers of all kinds flourished in patches beneath giant, leafy plants. In the sky, the sun was a gentle glow of yellow. It was perfection. It was Paradise.

Shita leaned forward, sniffing, smelling the new world that laid before him.

"Get away from there!" yelled Darcia. He grabbed Shita by the back this time, and slung him across the frozen terrain.

Yelping, Shita was surprised to realize he had been bitten. Examining Darcia closer, he saw past his illusion and saw the black wolf that he really was.

Darcia stepped over to the pale-yellow wolf, and stabbed his sword into his back before the wolf had the chance to move, the blade sinking past the bones, cutting into organs, tearing important sacks, and ate into the frozen earth. It stopped moving, became stuck– unable to be pulled out.

The man walked over to the flower, and said quietly, "Thank you." then he turned and walked over to his ship. He had no grudge against the little flower. He came out of the ship with Hamona in his arms once more. "Hamona, my love...do you feel it?" he asked her quietly, stepping carefully through the snow. "Paradise...I have brought you to Paradise."

In his arms, Hamona stirred, muttering quietly in her honey-sweet voice. Darcia did not ask for her to repeat herself. He knew that, once inside Paradise, they would have all the time in the world to talk in peace.

Shita watched the wolf carry the woman on his back, the illusion broken from his mind. Hamona's long, golden hair trailed the snow behind them, gathering bits of dirt and wolf's blood.

Darcia did not notice.

Standing in front of the Gate, Darcia gave the flower one last look before making up his mind to never look back again.

"Darcia...?" whispered Hamona quietly.

He looked down at her, his eyes wide with excitement.

A smile spread faintly across her pale, yet beautiful face. "I see it...I see Paradise..."

Darcia could only nod, too lost for words.

"Darcia...I love you...I...feel like...dancing..."

The man looked up at the Gate of Paradise, and said, "Then let us dance in Paradise, forever, my love." He took a step forward.

**..............................................................................................................................................................................**

While leaving the remains of the Noble ship, Tsume had caught Cher's scent at last, so he ran to find it. But he did not find what he expected.

On the ground was only her left arm, torn from her body that was still missing. He figured she must have been blown up, along with the ship– and this would be all that is left of her. Sighing, the gray wolf continued his trek towards the blooming scent of the flower, though he knew in his heart he would never each it in time.

Something caught his eye, and he turned around.

Down Cher's blackish, swollen arm, on one of her fingers of her hand, was a wedding ring. Tilting his head, he saw an inscription:

'My Beloved Wife, I Give My Soul To Thee- Hubb.'

**..............................................................................................................................................................................**

When Darcia stepped into Paradise, it vanished like a soap-bubble. He scooted his foot back from the water, and stared in black horror at the black fire that appeared in front of him. A second later, he and Hamona lit up in this darkness, their bodies turning an inner red light, their skin melting off of their mussels; mussels and tissues drying up, sticking to the bones, which then began to shrink–– all the while the lovers were screaming, holding on to each other as they tried to make the pain stop by will-power–– until there was nothing left but ash.

Breathless, Shita struggled against the sword that pierced inside him, whining. "Flower?" he said. "Flower, are you okay?"

But the flower fell over, withering quickly since it had no will to live.

Shita gave a long, loud howl of pain and sadness, his lungs drinking in blood the longer he kept his note. His song ended abruptly as he choked, and died.

**..............................................................................................................................................................................**

Tsume howled back to the wolf he heard, so far away. He did not know who he was, but he took comfort in the fact that another wolf knew what pain he was feeling. But when the wolf did not return his song, he knew that that wolf had died.

Without knowing what else to do, Tsume ran across the snowy land, seeking the lunar flower, smelling it as blood began to build in his nose. Tsume lost his vision for a split-second, and he fell on top of himself, his twisted, mangled leg ripping_ even further. _

_Damn it...what kind of world is this? He wondered. Was Kiba really right? Are we really the bad guys here_? He closed his eyes. _If we're bad because we aim to protect what is ours and keep order by instinct, then I guess humans are good because they steal and murder each other without cause._.. a smile twitched on his lips. _How ironic.._.he thought quietly.

As the life faded from his painfully beating heart, Tsume wondered if bad dogs go to hell.

**..............................................................................................................................................................................**

The clock struck 12 in the afternoon. Children ran on the streets with smiles on their faces, while parents busily chased them down, warning them not to run out in front of cars. They were hyped up since yesterday's Fair, and seemed oblivious to their good parents rules. Only ten minutes later, one of the children would be struck by a car, and die.

Excited young girls stopped by the kitten seller, who had gotten rid of his sign, and told the girls, quite bluntly, that they were free. The little white kitten was the first to go.

The police were busy with locating several missing people and, on top of that, had to make time to visit a funeral arrangement center since an old lady, known by the local children as 'Granny,' had a heart attack last night.

But the children would never listen to their parents.

The kitten would never be happy with the girls.

And the missing people would never be found: Only the crows knew where the bodies had vanished to.

They lick their beaks in remembrance, always cawing, cawing loudly to their fellow birds when some one knew comes into town.

**..............................................................................................................................................................................**


End file.
